When War Consumes Us
by Red Stockings
Summary: To return to his rightful place as the Prince of Midnight, Carrion must join his Grandmother’s enemies in order to overthrow her. With help from his spy, Carrion must play one side against another. But which side is he actually on? CarrionOFC
1. The present day

**Title: **Whenwar consumes us.

**Summary:** To return to his rightful place as the Prince of Midnight, Carrion must join his Grandmother's enemies in order to overthrow her. With a spy on the inside (Violet Mousquetaire), and the rest of his followers in hiding, Carrion must put aside his own plans to survive. Warning Book 2 spoilers.

**Disclaimer**: Alright, I don't own the Abarat, or the characters, and the list is pretty much endless as to what I don't own.

**Dedication:** To my newfound friend Eclair: Psycotic Confectionary, long live the random emails!

**Chapter One**

The present day...

Christopher Carrion was stronger than most. Life had dealt him many hard blows, knocking him to his knees more than once, forcing him to haul his way back to the top again and again; and as he reached a jagged rock with a night sky above him, he knew he would have to crawl upwards again. Only this time it would be literally, not figuratively. Looking up at the sky made him certain that he wasn't about to give up yet.

His hand scrabbled about on the top of the rock, looking for something to hold on to as to pull himself out of the water. His cold and numb fingers found a crevice in the rock, and after pushing away some of the mud and pebbles that had buried themselves into it, he dug his fingers into it and pulled himself upwards.

His bruised arms hurt until he thought they would stop working, his body giving up before his mind was ready, but it was nothing compared to the searing hot pain that shot across the wounds on his chest that caused black spots to form in front of his eyes, threatening to take him away from it all. But Christopher Carrion wasn't a man to be defeated by bodily pain, it was a hindrance to his aim that was all, it prevented him from climbing further away from the water, and the pain slowly turned to frustration as the adrenaline in his blood pumped through fast to help him survive.

As his forced and short breath began to become steady again, Carrion raised his eyes to the skies again, and then lowered them to meet with a row of houses standing in a line along the grassy verge of the beach. Having climbed up someone's pathway, in which over the years had crumbled bit by bit into the sea, he found himself outside of someone's house; this gave him the new motivation to keep moving, and seeing no lights on inside he took the chance to look in through the window, searching for inhabitants.

Aware that he had lost his clothes, and now that he was out of the water his skin was steadily becoming more and more frozen with the wind, Carrion looked around for something that might aid him. A line of washing hung in the back garden of the house next door, and keeping close to the houses and away from the windows, Carrion managed to seize an assortment of clothes that he quickly pulled over his head, with difficulty, before looking around once more.

There was clearly active life here, as none of the houses seemed in anyway dilapidated, yet they all appeared to be inhabited at this particular time. Walking around until he was sure that he was in the Abarat, and not still trapped in the hereafter, Carrion decided to break into one of the houses to see what he could find. Taking his chances with the loyalties of the owners, being a night hour it either belonged to him or his Grandmother, Carrion broke a window using a stone he found nearby, and climbed inside with a spidery quickness.

The Mousquetaire's were a large family, old named, but without the greatness and the fortunes that some great families acquired. Under the rule of the Carrion's for many generations, and faithful subjects when it came to allegiance, the news that found their ears tonight was an astonishment. It left them with a dilemma, and knowing they would be watched closely, they knew they had only two choices. Switch allegiance or hide.

The town meeting had revealed what no one would have been able to guess. The news was already a few days old, but it was still as shocking as it had been when it was first announced on Midnight. The Prince had not returned from the battle that had taken place in the hereafter, and therefore, he had been pronounced dead.

Looking at one another with fear in their eyes, the Mousquetaire's walked back home in silence, holding hands to support one another. Life had changed for them now, uncertainty was eating at them, and they didn't know what to do.

Gerret Mousquetaire owned one of the fisherman's houses on the edge of Idjit beach. He lived there with his wife and his two sons who were still in their infancy, and who commanded most of his time away from the sea, but he made enough to feed them all, and so he viewed himself successful in life.

As he and his wife, Holly, opened their front door to the blackness inside that was darker than the night outside, they knew they were not alone in their house. Setting the children in their arms down on the large armchair that was beside the door, Gerret lighted a lamp and found himself staring at a face he had hoped never to meet.

The candle flame flickered in Christopher Carrion's eye, making them seem larger and more threatening than ever before, and giving his already sinister expression an even more ominous feel. Readying himself for screams, Carrion was somewhat surprised when both man and woman, who undoubtedly lived in this dwelling, fell to their knees and bowed down to the floor at his feet. This action was unexpected, but was well received by the Prince of Midnight.

"My Lord Midnight!" the woman said breathlessly, her long dark hair falling over her face as she bowed to the man in her home.

"My Lord they told us you had not returned!" the man said looking up, his pale skin traditional of the night islands. Carrion knew instantly that they were not foreigners to this hour. "The guards were at the town meeting, Mater Motley has declared you dead."

Carrion took a step back and away from the candle flame, he didn't like to stand so directly in its light when he was still feeling vulnerable and weak from his journey here.

"Dead?" he muttered. "You will tell me where I am," he ordered his voice low but filled with the struggle of speaking.

"The hour of 2am Idjit," the man informed him.

"I will stay here," Carrion decided looking around at the house. "You will tell no one that I am here, or that I am alive."

He let the command dangle as he looked down at the two people on the floor in front of him. Usually he liked it when people showed their lowliness in this way, but today it annoyed him.

"Stand and state your name," he ordered, causing the couple to rise slowly to their feet in fear of angering him should he change his mind. Even in his mishmash of clothes, much too big for him, he still managed to looked every inch as intimating as he did dressed in his infamous collar of nightmares. Just his mere presence was enough to make one shiver.

"Our names," Gerret began. He paused, knowing once he gave them his family would be plunged into the old family loyalties once again. "Gerret and Holly Mousquetaire." But there was also no way he was going to purposefully lie to the man in front of him.

Carrion recognised the name; it was as old as his own. The Mousquetaire's had not always been lesser than the Carrions, but they had always been loyal.

"And your allegiance lies..."

"With you my Lord! Always to the Carrion's," Gerret said earnestly. It was true, he was dutiful, but he had to make Carrion believe it. His family's lives could be at risk if he didn't, and his life would be over.

"I am no longer in Midnight, I want assurances that your loyalty is mine and not the hour's," Carrion warned, his eyes catching the light once more and making Gerret's wife gasp in surprise.

Gerret was bewildered. He could never imagine a world in which Carrion was not Midnight, splitting the two seemed impossible, yet it looked as if that was what his Lord was telling him.

"Of course. Shelter here, Holly, the children..." Gerret said, he wanted his wife and children out of the room as soon as they could go, not to expose them anymore, and Holly took the children, one in each arm and climbed the stairs without looking back. "My family has served yours with respect for many generations, and I intend to do the same."

It was a slight compliment that seemed to put Carrion at ease, reminding him of his great family, and the fall of their own with only a few words.

"Very well," Carrion said seating himself and saying motionless for many hours as the family tried to live around him. To his credit, the addition of the Prince of Midnight didn't cause much disruption to the normality of their bedtime routine.

Only when the two adults chose to retire for the night did they realise they hadn't decided what to do with him, and feeling obliged to give him somewhere to sleep, even though he had not been invited into their home, Gerret's inbuilt custom demanded it. And so with marked complaints from his wife, and little to no thanks from Carrion himself, the couple were forced to give up their bedroom and sleep downstairs on the hard wooden floor.

Carrion stayed hidden in the Mousquetaire home for a week, not letting anyone tend to his wounds but himself, keeping to the room he'd been given, and keeping the door locked, only opening it when he was brought up his daily meal of fish soup. Which was the only meal he would take, and Holly, being the mothering type that she was, worried constantly that he did not eat enough and tried to coax him into eating the fresh slice of bread she repeatedly put on his tray. In the end, she gave up and settled on giving him larger helpings of soup. She wondered whether there was a reason for his favouring this dish and touching nothing else, but she felt it was not her place to ask.

Carrion had still not told them how they could help him; instead he kept to himself and reserved an eye for the beach. Adding to the tension in the house, the boys often cried at night, and eventually Holly took their mattresses downstairs until the whole family was camping in the living room, leaving the prince to his dark thoughts alone and undisturbed.

It seemed like they would be forced to spend many months like this, impatiently waiting for Carrion to become strong again. Eventually a month did pass, and Carrion ventured downstairs, longer than a few minutes to demand something, and sat with the small obedient family around the fire. After a few evenings in this manner he even became accustomed to the boys screeches and laughter as they gurgled and babbled to one another filling the silences that were often in the air. One not speaking and the others too afraid to.

One evening at the fire, he gave his instructions.

"I want you to learn what is happening at Gorgossium."

Gerret shared a worried look with his wife.

"But how my Lord? My wife and I cannot pass for spies for you, we have never been to Gorgossium," he explained.

"You are Mousquetaire's; you are well connected with each other. Surely you have one of your numbers in service at Midnight?" Carrion asked or stated knowing the answer. It was impossible for them not to.

"Violet," Holly whispered not realising she had spoke. Her husband looked at her horrified.

"My niece? No, she works for Mater Motley," Gerret said hoping to fend them away from Violet. She was too important to her father to be brought into this. But he had already got them in deep, and if one in the family falls, then they all fall. Perhaps it was already too later for violet; maybe she might as well help them. "She's a seamstress."

"You assured me of your loyalty," Carrion reminded him unpleasantly.

"Y-yes," Gerret stammered.

"And the loyalty of your family!" he hissed at him.

"Y-yes but..."

"But?" Carrion's tone switched abruptly, as he asked sarcastically. His previous question had already got the message across. Refuse him, and there would be consequences for it.

"She is not mine to command. I will have to speak with my brother," Gerret said defeated. He'd surrender his niece without so much as a fight.

"Good," Carrion said a wicked smile on his lips, the light dancing in his eyes. "Tell me about Violet..."

A/N: First ever Abarat, apologies for any mistakes made with the places and facts.

Please leave a review!

Idjit 2am

Mousquetaire Long glove covering most of the arm.


	2. Violet Mousquetaire's story of Midnight

**Chapter Two**

**Violet Mousquetaire's story of Midnight**

I've lived my whole life on Gorgossium, I was born here, and as raised in my family's home on the outskirts of this great dark city. Behind our large house is a quarry, in which is still dug to this day, but back when the prince first took control of his own island, (turning twenty and removing his grandmother from the power that she had held in proxy until he was to come of age) it had been a hive of activity as new stones had been needed to build the new city of Midnight that Carrion proposed.

True, the prince had worked his subjects hard with very little reward other than the knowledge that, should they continue and follow him, they would build a better place for all. To any onlooker, those first few years would have looked terrible, a mass of buildings growing like monsters from the earth, busy creatures crawling all over them. But when the first hospital and rows upon rows of new houses were finished, standing straight and proud out of the red mist that hung around them, no one grumbled against the prince without a good cause anymore, after all, Mater Motley had never done anything to help the lowly inhabitants of the Island.

Life on Midnight was tolerable and sometimes enjoyable when I was living with my parents. I was five years old when I first realised that my family was different from others. We had a long name, and it was an old one too. Trying to spell my last name for others had always bothered me as a child, as I could never spell it correctly. Even now when I am forced to spell it out loud, my mind draws a blank, writing it down is a reflex action and still to this day I spell by writing.

My family is large, spreading out onto all the night hours, cousins, uncles, brothers, sisters, all loyal to the house of Carrion, our Lord of Midnight.

It was in these years, when there was a slight ray of hope in the people of midnight that life was becoming better, that I began my service in the black towers in Gorgossium. My family had always been in their service as far as I knew, looking to find their favour, but never really getting anything but their respect for our loyalty.

I had had to tell the guard my name, I did this by holding my fingers out in front of my face and writing in the air. To anyone outside of Midnight my spidery action might have appeared strange and even frightening, but here anything was tolerated. I knew I went into a kind of trance when I wrote the letters out in front of my eyes using all my fingers, moving them simultaneously to look at the shapes they made so that I could read it out to the man writing my name down.

So when my name was read out from a long list, and read out first, I knew I had a new home in the large towers of the Midnight Palace.

At eight years old I was made one of the junior seamstresses in Mater Motley's thirteenth tower, even though I had never sewed anything in my life. A good name could take you anywhere; just as the name Carrion would take you around the Abarat should you wish to exploit a distance connection to the Prince of Nightmares, without anyone ever asking you for payment, too afraid to anger your relatives.

It was common knowledge at this time that the prince was mesmerised by the Princess Boa, spending many days on her island waiting for her to give him her time. There were mixed emotions about this. Some saw it as a disaster about to happen, others, the more innocent saw it as a fairytale romance. It was around this time that I had my first meeting with the Lord himself. From afar he was intimidating, but face to face and alone he was terrifying.

I remember shaking from head to toe as I walked into the room he was waiting for me in, thankful for the first time of the veil that Mater Motley made us wear to cover her faces from those who would look on us with jealousy, it gave me a small felling of security if not much.

I didn't know why I had been summoned by name, but I had the sense that he was displeased with something.

"This is too big, I cannot wear it as it is," he said cryptically.

I'd sewed so many shirts for him now that I had no idea which one, or what he was talking of. "You are the one who sews these are you not?"

"Yes My Lord," I managed to say. I was feeling weak, shivers running down my back, the kind that told me that I was in the presence of someone who could end my life with a click of his fingers.

"Then stop standing there and sort it out."

I wondered why he did not just simple send the shirt back to me with instructions. He often did that, asking for less on the sleeves, I was continuously getting the measurements of his arms wrong. But that's what happens when you get your measurements second hand because you are too afraid to collect them yourself.

As I walked towards him, I realised I had made the same mistake once again, the sleeves of his shirts were far too long, and I was so embarrassed at my inefficiency to sew a sleeve, that I blushed stupidly under my veil.

I didn't look up at him, not once, as he stood frighteningly still in front of the dress mirror waiting for me to finish altering it. He said nothing when I got my fingers tangled in the thread, or when I accidentally pricked his wrist with the needle, which I knew I had done because a tiny speck of blood appeared and threatened to touch the white of the shirt. I didn't like blood, but I wiped it away with my thumb nevertheless and pressed down on the scratch until I was sure it wouldn't bleed anymore. After all my hard work, I wouldn't have the shirt ruined by blood. He had looked down at me for that action, but I continued, absorbed by my work and not noticing that he was looking at me until I had finished.

I had wondered why he didn't take the shirt off, since I could have done made a better job of the stitching that way, but I soon realised he was dressing to go somewhere, and after that, I picked up a better pace. Had I known where he was going I would have made a better effort at it? But I wasn't to know, and I would have never guessed. Besides all I had wanted to do was finish and leave.

I only found out why I had sewed that particular shirt when I visited my parents the next day.

You can guess what happened, you know already, but I shall tell you again. That day he had gone to see Princess Boa, and she had refused him.

I knew something was wrong when Mater Motley didn't appear in the morning for the daily stitching of her army, which she worked on with the more experienced of us, whilst me and the younger women botched up the Lord's wardrobe, making enough mistakes between us. Thinking back, the poor man probably sent everything back. Thankfully however I had stopped being sent back the shirts for turning up of the sleeves; I'd remembered how much I'd taken up when I'd done it personally. Motivated by the fact that I didn't fancy a repeat performance, besides I wasn't sure it would be tolerated again.

When Mater Motley finally did arrive, the needle she was holding pinched between her bony forefinger and thumb, was covered in sticky red blood. All the eyes in the room were drawn instantly to the menacing looking tool that had become a weapon.

I made myself shrink into the background even more, not daring to be seen. I felt as if any one of us could be next in whatever terrible thing our Mistress had done.

Seated in her chair, Mater Motley squeezed the thread hanging from its eye and caused the blood too fall down onto the floor in a disgusting spattering of noise. She looked at the needle with indifference before beginning her sewing with the same instrument.

"Midnight will be silent for a long time, the word love will not be heard again," she had said, and she hadn't been wrong.

Everyone knows what that terrible event was, and perhaps it doesn't even sound so shocking now that you have heard it so many times, but try to imagine the horror of the subjects loyal to Carrion, to know that their Lord had been so humiliated and mutated by his own blood, made even the worse by knowing there was nothing to be done. To declare themselves against Mater Motley was to rebel against Carrion, and so all the Midnight followers could do was grit their teeth and know that this battle was Carrion's and not theirs.

I don't know what happened in the months that followed, but again mysteries answer your questions for me. I can neither confirm nor deny the fact that the dragon, that so cruelly ate the Princess Boa on her wedding day, came from Midnight. But I knew deep down, like so many others here on Midnight, that if he did give that order, it had already been given to him first. I have no doubt in my mind that his grandmother convinced him during his time under her control, when she had sewed up his mouth and driven him mad with anger, that Boa's life should end.

Everything changed after that. More nightmares, more darkness. Building stopped, horrible things happened to people who stepped out of line, people were alone once again

Between them, Boa and Motley had destroyed the Prince of Midnight. From then on he was to be known as the Prince of Nightmares.

Sixteen years later....

Violet Mousquetaire sat patiently in her father's study. She was his daughter, but like all the other Mousquetaire's she had to wait in line to see him. He was the head of their large family, and was always discussing things with people, trying to advance others through his contacts. Violet had been his biggest success so far. A seamstress was an honoured position to have in Midnight.

The door opened with an easy motion that told Violet that it was her father before he even stepped inside.

Like the rest of her family, who had never walked into the sun in all their years, Mr Mousquetaire was paled skinned. His large green eyes, the colour he had also given his daughter, were perfect for the darkness, catching as much light as they could.

"Violet," he said. His voice sounded hoarse, as if he had been shouting, or perhaps crying, but Violet could never imagine her father crying, although the more she looked at him, the more his eyes appeared red. "I have some news."

"News? Is it good or bad?" Violet asked. She always liked to be prepared first for bad news.

"Bad. Violet your uncle is unwell; he wants you to help his wife in the home. Holly cannot cope with the boys on her own," he said his voice shaking as he lied to his own daughter.

"Will he be alright? It's not serious is it?"

"Yes, it's very bad, you must go right away!"

"I can't father, Mater Motley will not let me leave for such a long time," Violet said worried. There were loads of girls Holly could get to help her in the home, why did it have to be her?

"You must persuade her, Violet, he asked for you, he wants to see you, it may be his last..." he could not bring himself to say it. He couldn't lie anymore like this, it was hard enough convincing himself that it had to be done, but doing it was even worse. He knew he was causing the girl in front of him pain, he only hoped that she would forgive him in time, when she understood.

Violet felt tears falling down her cheeks as she nodded.

"Chance," Violet finished it for him. "I shall try father, I shall try," she said standing and wiping her tears with her sleeve. "Give me one day."

Mr Mousquetaire watched her walk out the door wracked with worry in her young mind. He knew his daughter deserved to be told the truth, but he had to do as he was bid. If Carrion had instructed that she was not to know what was waiting for her at her uncle's house, then he wouldn't tell her. He hated Carrion for it, but he suspected it was somewhat for Violet's own protection as well as Carrion's own.

Supposing Mater Motley didn't agree, Violet would be burning with the information and it would come out eventually. Not to mention the terrible things Mater Motley might have that could detect lies in that horrible tower, no, Carrion knew what should happen, and he wasn't going to get in the way of it.


	3. The Mystery of the man upstairs

Authors Note: Thank you all!

**Chapter Three**

**The Mystery of the man upstairs**

Violet's black silk dress soaked up the spray of the sea until it was dripping with the salty water and smelled of the ocean. Her brown hair was damp and lank against her face escaping from the neat bun on top of her head. Her pale skin flushed pink on her cheeks from the cold, and her nose frozen and numb on her face. Blowing on her hands to warm them, Violet rubbed them together and tried to keep her feet steady on the ship's deck.

Her father pulled his coat tighter around his shoulders and held onto the side of the boat with a green face. He hated sailing, but there was no way he would have let his daughter make this journey on her own, not when he knew what was waiting for her.

Their luggage was stowed down in the hull of the small boat, two small cases filled with cotton shirts and petticoats. Violet didn't own that many clothes, what she had was what she wore as part of the Sisterhood and they were all the same, all of them black.

Her black lace covered fingers brushed her hair out of her eyes, and out of the darkness slowly came the lights of the houses on Idjit. Her father had managed to make the captain of the boat agree to stop at the beach just outside his brother's house, and had arranged for it to come back and collect him the following morning. The least he could do for his daughter was to stay at least one night to make sure she was alright.

When the boat hit the pebbles of the Island, and all on board the boat looked around in wonder as to why they had stopped before their destination, Violet took her case from her father and climbed over the side.

Her heeled boots sank under the water, and slowing began to let the sea creep inside them, soaking her thin stockings and rising up her leg. Lifting her skirt out of the water to keep herself from tripping over it, Violet lead the way up the beach towards her uncle's house.

Her heart was pounding; her father hadn't told her much about her uncle's condition, only that he was confined to his bed and unable to work. Knowing that it must be something serious, Violet waited for her father to close the distance between them before she knocked on the door. Listening carefully, she heard voices inside.

The door opened slowly and the light from inside poured over Violet's worried face. The pupils in her oval eyes shank instantly to dots as the light hit her face, but they remained wide in apprehension.

"Holly," she greeted the woman with half a smile.

"Violet, Brother, please come in," Holly said with reluctance, she wished they have never come. She gave Violet's father a look that showed that they both shared the same fear, and shut the door behind them.

Violet was standing motionless in the middle of the room. Her uncle was stood in front of her, perfectly well.

"What is going on?" she asked, annoyance clearly sounding in her voice. "Uncle?"

"I am sorry Violet, we were just following instructions," Holly said meekly. It was a poor excuse.

"Instructions?" Violet asked sceptical. "From who?"

The two brothers looked at one another, willing each other to speak so that they would not have to. In the end it was Holly who answered her.

"Christopher Carrion," she whispered.

Violet dropped her case, letting it hit the floor with a loud crash that sounded ten times louder in the silent room.

"That's impossible!" she insisted shaking her head at Holly. "He's dead!"

Holly covered her mouth with her hand, she looked ready to cry. Days of having a secret upon her conscience was finally breaking her down, and the sight of the girl's face pushed her to her limit. She had been the one to mention Violet's name, it was her eagerness to get Carrion's attention away from her small family that had brought the poor girl into this.

"He's upstairs," she said, hardly speaking at all. Violet lip-read her words and looked up at the dark staircase. She knew it was true, she could feel him up there.

The two men stood dumbfounded, this was beyond either of them, and neither could believe such a thing possible, even when they had had so long to contemplate it. Carrion couldn't be upstairs, surely that was impossible? Their bodies screamed that he was, Violet was right, the air was cold, it was menacing.

"Violet you're shaking, Gerret, fetch a blanket quickly," Holly ordered, her voice quaking.

At the sound of his name Gerret stopped staring pityingly at his niece and took a blanket from one of the makeshift beds on the floor.

All of this was happening without anyone having any control, apart from of course Carrion, and all the Mousquetaire's could do was to go along with it disbelievingly.

"Alright," Violet said pulling the blanket around her, but she knew she wasn't shivering because it was cold. "If he is not dead, and he's upstairs, what does he want with me?"

Holly looked at her husband for help, he shook his head incredulously.

"We don't know," he said. "But he wants to see you now," he added taking a step to the side so that Violet's way to the staircase would not be blocked.

"I can't believe you all lied to me," Violet sniffed not moving. "Father did you know?"

There was a pause of silence.

"Yes," he replied in a quite voice.

Violet looked at him with disappointed eyes.

"Fine," she said with a tone that suggested that she was so upset that nothing could get any worse. It was this frame of mind that moved her to the stairs. "Does he know I'm here?"

"Yes, he's waiting," Gerret said wishing that Violet would refuse to go and return home, forgetting that this conversation had ever happened.

Her father walked across the small room to the stairs, but was stopped by his brother's hand on his arm.

"His orders are Violet goes alone," Gerret said firmly. Carrion had been very insistent on this.

"Damn his orders," Violet's father hissed. "I'm not sending my daughter up there to meet him alone."

"It's alright father," Violet said trying to diffuse the tension. "I'm sure I won't be long, after all, I don't expect he has much to say to a seamstress like me."

Her words were an attempt at a joke, but her face was so tragic, and her voice so weak that all it brought was silence.

Taking the stairs one at a time; Violet looked down at the faces below her as they grew smaller and smaller as she disappeared into the darkness up above. Somehow knowing that they were watching her made it worse, had they not been there she wouldn't have had to hide the way her legs were shaking as she walked.

Violet chewed on her bottom lip as she reached the last step, and turned to her left to find the door to the largest bedroom. She assumed he would be inside this one, and the shivers on her skin told her that she was right.

Reaching out a hand she was about to turn the handle when she remembered who was inside, and knocked instead. There was silence until a voice called to her to come in. The voice was soft, but patronising, the sort that someone used when talking to a child, not a young woman.

Even though she had been given permission to go inside, Violet didn't move. After a few more seconds she realised it would not be a good idea to keep him waiting, and opened the door quickly before she lost the nerve and ran back downstairs.

The room was pitch black and stepping inside, Violet knew that he was in there somewhere. Closing the door behind her, shutting out the pale glimmer of light from downstairs, Violet surrendered herself to the darkness.

Even with her large eyes made for the night, Violet could make out nothing. She didn't want to speak, since she knew she had no permission to do so, and even if she could have, she didn't know what she would say. Saying hello into the darkness sounded stupid in her head, she need not say it out loud.

Eventually she heard a movement, and her heart began to beat erratically in her chest, until she thought it would stop and send her fainting to the ground. But it didn't stop, the movement did, and trying to see into the last place she heard it, Violet waited. Her eyes darting around the room. She didn't know what kind of game this was.

She already knew well that the Prince liked to play tricks on his victims, driving them insane with fear before he demanded anything of them. She's heard the screams from the dungeons many times, but she never thought she would be on her way to becoming one too.

Feeling his eyes on her, Violet tried to cover herself up further by pulling the blanket closer to her body. She knew that if he could see her, he could not see much of her, but she was already wishing for her veil.

This frightening game lasted only a minute, but it felt like an eternity to Violet. All she could hear was the beating of her own heart, and the noisy sound of her own breathing.

Abruptly, and without any warning, the lamp on the wall next to her was turned on, and Violet gasped as she realised that all that time in the dark, all the seconds she had spent trembling, Carrion had been stood but inches away from her. If she had taken a step to the side in her nervousness, she would have bumped straight into him.

Her first reaction was to stare at him; the next was to curtsy, an action drummed into her by her life at Gorgossium. The ability to breathe had temporary been lost to her, and she realised why he had not allowed her father to accompany her, he _wanted_ to frighten her. His game in the darkness would not have worked had he been there.

Standing straight again, Violet kept her eyes on the small fire that was burning in the grate on the other side of the room, and refused to look at him. He was so close to her, but she wouldn't give him the satisfaction of knowing that his near proximity was alarming her.

"Good Evening Violet," he said calmly. As if it was nothing at all, he stretched out his hand to touch the side of her pale face, but he snatched it away as he saw the girl shudder violently.

Violet just gazed at him, her mouth tight shut; no words would come to her.

"Stand in the middle of the room," he instructed. Violet did as she was told without arguing. His first instruction could have been worse, she told herself as she watched him study her, much worse.

He didn't look impressed, and walked past her heading for the chair by the fireside. He had taken the chair from the room downstairs, and had stripped Holly's dressing table of its content and placed it beside it. Violet thought it looked as though he was setting a place for dinner, and she hoped she wouldn't be joining him for that.

"You are nothing but a child," he told her, then added angrily, "take off that blanket."

"I'm twenty one," Violet said surprising both herself and him with her reply. She'd meant to say anything.

To try and appease him after her outburst, Violet took the blanket from her shoulders and let it collapse on the floor by her feet. She stood still knowing that he was trying to guess her under her sea soaked dress.

"Sew skin do you Violet?" he asked with a touch of disgust in his voice that he tried to hide under sarcasm.

"No, I was made to once, but it made me ill, and I haven't done so since," she answered and then returned to silence.

Carrion crossed his legs and folded his hands on his stomach; he looked somewhat pleased at that. He also looked so relaxed that it made Violet wonder what sort of meeting this was supposed to be.

"I don't suppose my Grandmother was too impressed with your incompetence, especially if you sew skin like you sew shirts," he said, his words still holding some amusement, but Violet knew she wasn't included in it. He was laughing at her feebleness, and feeble was what she felt when standing in front of him.

Violet was no longer frightened, at least not for the moment. It was hard to feel scared in the warmth of the fire and the light of the lamp.

"She beat me," Violet confessed remembering the stabbing pain of all those needles striking her skin.

Carrion's eyes danced with the image he was imagining, it amused him to think of the girl being stabbed by all those little sharp points. A truly wicked smile spread over his face and he closed his eyes for a moment and tried to hear the girl screaming for mercy in his mind.

Violet waited, she didn't want to know what it was he was thinking about, but she knew it involved her. She wondered what her friends back in Gorgossium would think if they would that Violet Mousquetaire had taken up so much time in their Prince's thoughts.

"Yes," he said finally into the silence before looking at her again. "Sit down."

Violet looked around, the only place to sit was the bed, and she was reluctant to sit there. But the look in his eye told her that she would be skating on thin ice if she refused him this.

Sitting down on the bed, Violet knew her dress was going to leave a water mark, but she wasn't going to bother him with that, he probably didn't even know what one was. Everything was clean in the twelfth tower, if he dropped a spoon someone handed him a new one.

Carrion liked the way she looked sat on his bed, she looked like she was waiting for something, and she was, she was waiting for him to speak.

"Do you know why I asked to see you alone Violet?" he asked quietly. Somehow his voice sounded more intimidating when it was quietly spoken.

She didn't like the way he said her name either, it bordered on ownership.

"No My Lord."

"Your loyalty is important to me, I want you to say that I have it, I want to hear you say it now, before I tell you why you are here."

Violet paused. There was nothing she could do but swear an alliance to him, she'd sworn one to him before, but that was to both him and Mater Motley, now she was being asked to choose sides.

"My life is yours," she didn't add his title to the end, she wanted it to sound sincere, and not calling him her lord was almost as intimate and calling him Christopher.

"It's mine indeed, you will answer to no one but me, not even your father," he said, his voice switching again to something much softer, even charming.

Violet found herself drawn to the way he was speaking to her now, it was a tone she recognised well, she'd heard it in every pleading male voice, the attempt at seduction for an aim.

"I want you to become a spy for me Violet," Carrion said.

"But, I'm a seamstress!" Violet said in her defence.

Carrion felt his temper rise but battled it down; he felt he was close to having her agree that he couldn't afford to frighten her away now.

"The prefect place for a spy," he said. When she said nothing he lost control over his anger. "And if you do not Mousquetaire, I shall have your entire family killed."

This seemed to get the message across.

"I shall do anything you ask, just don't hurt my family, they are loyal to you My Lord," she pleaded standing up and kneeling down before him. She'd seen others do the same thing before, never with much success, but she could think to do nothing else but beg.

"Silence. You will fetch me something to eat, and then you will tell me what my dear Grandmother has been up to," he ordered moving away from her in the chair, and Violet knew she had lost his attention.

Only a moment ago he had been the one pleading, how quickly the tables turned when Carrion was the one playing.

Violet stepped out of the room and closed the door behind her. Once outside she took a deep breath and tried to steady herself. Downstairs everyone stood up and waited for her to look down at them.

But Violet kept her eyes on the floor.

"What does he want?" her father asked as soon as she was downstairs.

"Dinner," violet said not answering him what she knew he wanted to hear. "He's hungry."

"Violet," her father warned. "I want you to tell me."

Violet's temper finally broke, the immense pressure of the evening had taken its toll on her nerves, and the last thing she wanted was to be cross-examined by her father.

"Is there some tea in the pot?" she asked Holly as she strode past them all.

"Y-yes," Holly answered knowing there was about to be an argument.

But Violet's father wouldn't give up, he wanted to know what was happening, and he didn't like the way his daughter was behaving towards him.

"Violet!" he father said taking hold of her arm with a rough grasp, his unexpected action made Violet drop the teapot on the floor. The hot liquid splashed over the bottom of her dress and up the side of the wall. "You will tell me what he said, and you will tell me now."  
"No, I will not. I don't work for you anymore," Violet said snatching her arm away from him. "It's your fault, all of yours that I'm here, and now you are angry with me. With me! Well I'll tell you something, I'm glad I work for him now, I won't have to bother with this stupid family."

"You ungrateful girl, after all I've done for you!"

Gerret and Holly shrank into the background, this was partly their fault, or all perhaps of their fault, but they were so ashamed of themselves that they could do nothing but keep their heads down.

"And then you gave me to him!" Violet shouted forgetting to keep her voice down. "All you care about is advancing your family; you don't care about me at all."

Gerret and Holly heard the door upstairs open and they turned their heads away from the argument and upwards to the figure on the stairs. As soon as Carrion reached the final step of the stairs, Violet spotted him and stopped arguing immediately. Her father, sensing something was wrong turned around, and seeing who was staring at him, he bowed down in disgrace of his behaviour.

Everyone looked on fearfully but Violet, for a strange reason she felt safer now that he was here. He'd come downstairs for her, she felt he was protecting her, and the loyalty to him strengthened.

"I gave you an order Violet," he said, his voice low. He didn't need to raise his voice in this company, it was already silent.

Violet turned back to the cooker and looked around for something else to give him. Holly was always cooking something or other, and there was always something to eat.

Holly hurried over to help her niece, glad to get out of the tension in the room. In the small corner that was the kitchen, Holly felt as if she had escaped. Violet was busy, putting soup into a bowl and filling a plate with steamed fruit. She put the food on the tray and turned around to face Carrion.

He looked at the tray and then her face, she knew exactly what he was thinking; he didn't need to tell her. Turning back, she put another bowl of soup on the tray and followed the prince back up the stairs.

Her father followed her with wary eyes; he didn't like the fact that his authority was being challenged.


	4. To been still alive after you’d died

**Authors note**: Where I'm planning to take this story may soon seem a little bizarre, but hopefully in a good way. I'm not all that great at writing doom and gloom, plus my strange sense of humour always seems to get the better of anything I write, so be warned.

**_Chapter four: _**_To been still alive after you'd died_

Violet hated fish soup, but diligently, one spoonful after another she swallowed the meal, even if it felt heavy on her tongue and almost made her sick. Thankfully Carrion wasn't paying her much attention, instead he was content to stare at the fire and eat his own meal, slowly, as if doing so was an effort. Violet watched him instead, ready to look away should he notice her staring. She had never imagined in her entire life that one day she would be eating soup with the Prince of Midnight.

Deciding sitting in silence was becoming too uncomfortable, and that the sooner it was over, the sooner she would be able to change her sodden dress, Violet began to think of what he'd asked of her. What had his Grandmother been doing?

"Should I tell you about Midnight, Lord?" she asked cautiously. His eyes flickered to her face and then back down to his spoon, he looked at it's content, put it back in the bowl, stirred it and then lifted the spoon back out.

"I didn't bring you up here to have dinner with me," he said still inspecting the spoon.

Violet frowned and set her empty bowl aside, she knew her stomach was going to disagree with the meal later, and she already regretted eating it. But she wasn't perturbed by his rude tone; she'd been spoken to rudely most of her life.

"I must confess I haven't been taking much of an interest, I was more concerned with what was going to happen to myself, now that there was no lord to sew shirts for, but I know what is common knowledge to the whole of Gorgossium," Violet began.

She didn't know if she had his attention or not, as he was still stirring the soup and looking at that rather than her, but she wasn't going to wait until he'd finished.

"And what is that?" he asked putting the bowl down, he'd eaten only as much as three spoonfuls, probably less.

Violet was distracted by the bowl and lost her thought.

"Erm, sorry?" she asked.

"What... is... it?" he asked making each word as clear as he could until it was intentionally belittling. Violet took no notice.

"Mater Motley has declared the Twelfth Tower to be demolished, which hasn't been completed yet, but it has been abandoned and fenced off as derelict. In its place she plans to build an even larger, grander tower which will _eclipse the memory of your power on the island_. She hasn't even been in mourning for you, she is a terrible woman!" Violet finished adding her sudden thought to the end and then realising she shouldn't have.

"Mourn for me?" he asked, he sounded as if he might laugh, which frightened Violet even more than the idea of him shouting. "Of course she didn't."

"But she's your Grandmother!"

"She was the one who killed me, or did she leave that part out?" Carrion half shouted.

Violet didn't like the way he had referred to himself as dead, but she supposed to the world he still was. She wondered what it felt like to be still alive after you'd died. But it was too complicated for her to contemplate and she stopped thinking of it.

"She didn't mention it," Violet mumbled to the ground.

Carrion smiled. He liked her choice of word, _mentioned_, it sounded as if Mater Motley had announced his death over a cup of coffee at breakfast.

"So, my tower is defunct. What else?"

Violet licked her bottom lip before beginning again; she could still taste the soup.

"Well as you know, you need stones to build a tower, so she ordered the minors to start digging for more black stone. Perhaps your Grandmother doesn't have a head for business, but she upped the workload but didn't raise the wages to match it. So the miners have been on strike, and as far as I am aware, they still are."

"Strike? Who are they bargaining against; I was the one they complained to before."

"Mater Motley I suppose. Who else is there?" Violet said feeling as if they had been having this conversation forever, not only was it feeling long, but their words were prompting each other's speech as if they were used to talking to one another.

Violet found this surprising; she had been expecting their conversation to be filled with pauses and frightening silences, not unbroken speech.

"Only, the Mistress is not a patient woman, I can't see the miners winning this strike. Something terrible is going to happen soon, it's in the Midnight air just like when..."

Violet stopped. She was forgetting she was _speaking_ to the man she was just about to talk of, only he seemed to guess what she was about to say, and turned his face away. _When she sewed up your mouth, _Violet finished in her head. She shuddered; she couldn't even begin to imagine how much that must have hurt. But then again, she was still fascinated by it.

"Not only is it the minors, its ordinary people too. She is making them swear allegiance to her, and they don't understand why they must. Because surely she already has it, since they swore it for you. People don't know what to do. They are being made to swear you dead and follow her, but they don't want to give up on you yet, and it seems they are right to still hope."

"This will turn to chaos. It has to be caught before that happens," he said. "We will have to rally them all together."

"We?" Violet questioned.

"I'm sorry my dear, I meant you," he said in an ironic voice. "I'm still apparently dead, I can't just go walking into Midnight, imagine what a fuss that would cause."

He was teasing her now, but somehow it still wasn't particularly friendly.

"But I don't know how!" Violet said shaking. This was too big a request. Being a spy was all well and good, but the leader of an army? Now he was having a laugh. "But I'm just a girl!"

"You could be a snake for all I care; you will find a way."

"You can't make that command of me, you know it's impossible!" Violet said standing up and walking to the window. She couldn't remain sitting any longer.

"For your sake I hope it isn't Violet, because the consequences of you failing are dire."

Violet looked at him aghast and then turned to the door. She muttered the word, _fine,_ before walking out and slamming the door behind her. Hurrying down the stairs she reached the bottom before the door was opened and Carrion followed her.

"Don't you run away from me!" he shouted as Violet struggled to open the front door knowing every second she wasted was another second that he was walking towards her.

Just before he caught the end of her dress, Violet was outside and running down the beach. No matter how hard she tried to run on the pebbles, he was always close behind her, and before she could think of a way to escape him, he'd knocked her to the floor.

Her father, uncle and Holly were fast on their tail, but still too far away. Violet had managed to make it quite a distance from their house, and she had no idea how Carrion had kept up with her without her even hearing him behind her, but she had known he was there however, even if she couldn't hear him.

Violet fell on the hard ground and looked up to see Carrion standing over her. She had the horrible feeling that her life was about to end, and her heart was beating so fast that she felt as if he didn't kill her, she'd end up having a heart attack anyway.

There had been children playing on the beach, but now they had disappeared. Violet didn't want to imagine what a shock that must have been to them, but hopefully their mothers wouldn't believe them when they said they saw Christopher Carrion on the beach.

Carrion took a step back from her and his hand flung to his chest. Violet could see blood seeping into the material of his shirt, and he was gasping in a way that told her that despite his deceiving appearance of before, he was actually in a lot of pain.

"I am sorry my Lord, I shall never..."

"Quiet!" he ordered, his voice low.

Before Violet could do anything to help, the prince fell back on the pebbles and lay down slowly, it was such a shock to Violet that she screamed and her hand flung to her mouth in attempt to silence herself. The blood was running between his fingers and falling across the back of his palm, and Violet struggled up and crawled towards him as fast as she could.

"Don't touch me," he warned, his eyes looking hazy and loosing focus when he looked at her.

"My Lord you are bleeding too much, you need stitches," Violet exclaimed, but quite clearly that was the wrong thing to say, as he grabbed her arm, and even in his reduced state Violet was surprised by how strong his hand on her was.

"You keep your filthy disgusting needles away from me!"

"My Lord!" Holly shrieked as Violet's relatives finally reached them. "Gerret, he's dieing!"

Carrion didn't appreciate the woman's hysterics, he wasn't dieing; it was only blood. But by the way he was slowly loosing focus, he realised that perhaps it was worse than he was ready to admit. Thankfully for them all he managed to loose consciousness before they all struggled to get him back home, the two men were strong, but carrying someone who was injured was a different matter to just simply picking them up.

Violet sat on the beach ashamed of herself. She had no idea how she was ever going to face him after this, as she had acted like a child, slamming doors and running away, no wonder he had been angry. But Violet had been so frustrated by his stupid demand, that had she had a voodoo doll of him at the particular moment, she would have been sticking pins in it.

Not only was she angry with him, but he'd also devastated the image she had built up of him since her childhood. In her mind the Prince of Midnight was incapable of bleeding, and being helpless, but perhaps now he was mortal after all. After understanding that, despite the gulf of rank between them, they were the same, affected by the same things and vulnerable; her feelings of hatred began to subside, and were replaced with pity. This was something she had never expected to feel for _him_.

Carrion was asleep when Violet returned to the room. The bowls had been cleaned away, and Holly had redressed his wounds. There was no blood to be seen. Violet wondered if she had put stitches in him, and suspected she had. There would be no other way to heal a wound that bled like that without them.

Pulling the armchair closer to him, Violet watched his chest rise up and down as he slept and slowly realised she was tired also, but for some reason she didn't want to leave him now that she was here. He looked so hopelessly defenceless that Violet felt no fear beside him at all.

Staring at his lips, Violet put her fingers to her own feeling for imaginary scars, the like of which Carrion had around his mouth. Clearly the stitches that had been put in had not been carefully removed. Either in his anger and desperation he had ripped them out himself, or Mater Motley had not been kind when she undid them. Either way, his lips had been so ripped to shreds that even looking at them now she could see where every stitch had been. She was surprised it had managed to heal so well, not disfigured other than the scars.

"I shall rally them for you," Violet said softly before standing and walking out of the room, looking back and then closing the door. "Somehow," he added when she was outside. "Somehow, I won't fail."

Carrion opened his eyes as soon as the door closed, turned his head in the direction of where she had walked out and raised the corner of his mouth in a smirk. _Good_, he thought.

Everything would have been going to plan if he wasn't in so much pain.


	5. An unexpected arrival

**Author's Note**: I haven't forgotten about those strikers! I wonder if you can die from an overdose of fish soup? Can't say I'd want to eat it. Maybe they should all just go to Pizza Hut, or KFC? I'm sure Pixler owns the equivalent of a Pizza Hut somewhere.

**Chapter Five **_An unexpected arrival_

Violet woke up to find herself beside the two small children, carefully in the back corner of the kitchen, lying on the makeshift bed that she didn't remember climbing into. Sitting up she saw her father pulling on his coat and putting on his hat.

"Father, are you going somewhere?" Violet said struggling to stand up without waking up the children.

Her father looked at her sadly.

"I have to go home; people will begin to wonder where I am. I haven't taken my leave of the Prince, not that I ever had the chance to introduce myself; so I'm sure he won't notice. Holly and Gerret are in the town, they'll be back later."

"You're leaving me behind?" Violet asked wide-eyed and surprised.

"I am very sorry Violet."

Violet stepped over the sleeping children and hugged him.

"I'm sorry I shouted at you, I didn't mean those things I said," Violet whispered wishing she didn't ever have to let go. The reality of being left alone was too much to believe, and as her father walked away from her and opened the front door, Violet sat down on the bottom of the stairs and put her head in her hands.

She sat in silence for some time, staring at the floor and thinking that she ought to start making something for them all to eat, but instead she just sat. She wasn't even thinking, just staring at nothing, until something upstairs fell onto the floor with a loud bump, making Violet's head shoot up as she stared at the ceiling. Frowning, she picked up the smallest child as he woke from the noise and began to crawl away from his brother, and making sure the other wasn't able to leave the house, Violet climbed up the stairs listening for any telling noise as she did so.

Pressing her ear to the door, Violet listened for signs of movement, but it was silent. Wondering what had made the noise, Violet carefully opened the door trying not to make any noise herself. The child in her arms tugged at her hair and Violet had to nudge the door open with her foot as she pulled the child's hand out of her hair.

The prince's eyes were fixed on her face, but Violet wasn't looking at him; she was smiling at the tiny boy as she pulled his hand from her hair, and put it down at his side. When she did look up at him, Carrion was pretending to be asleep, but behind his closed eyes he could still see the kind smile that had been on her face, long enough to make Carrion realise that it had been a long time since someone had smiled at _him_ like that.

Violet looked at him thoughtfully, she hadn't considered what she would do once she was here; just that she needed to discover what had made the noise. Seeing a cup on the floor, Violet put the child on the armchair by the empty fire and picked it up. Setting it down on the small table that was beside him; Violet couldn't help but wonder exactly how injured he was. It had never occurred to her when she had first entered the room that under his shirt he was hiding wounds. He had never given any indication that he had been hurt.

Stretching out her hand to straighten the blanket over him, Violet screamed as his hand grabbed hold of her wrist and clamped on tight. The child on the chair began to get nervous, sensing something was wrong, and began to whimper.

"I heard a noise," Violet said quickly before he could say anything to her. His eyes were wary of her, but he didn't let go.

"I knocked over the glass," Carrion said looking down at the floor where the content had spilt.

"It doesn't matter, would you like another drink? You don't have to have water if you want something else," Violet said kindly as if he wasn't holding her arm so tightly that she thought it would soon turn blue and black with bruises.

"Water is fine," he said as the other child downstairs started crying. The one on the chair had fallen silent, no one was seeing to him, and he had become bored of crying. Playing with one of the books on the chair was more interesting.

The change on Violet's face was dramatic, and Carrion let her go as if he didn't want to be affected by it. Violet's other hand flung to her wrist and she rubbed it as she backed out of the room.

"He won't be any trouble," Violet said looking at the boy on the chair. "I'll be back in a few seconds, don't worry."

Violet didn't take the time to look at Carrion's surprised face, as she was out of the room as fast as she could go. She knew it had been a mistake to leave the other child downstairs alone, but she couldn't carry them both at the same time, she wasn't strong enough.

The infant boy gawked at Carrion with a fascinated stare, so piercing that he wished the girl would hurry up and return so that the child would look at someone else.

"What do you want?" he asked suspiciously as the child started bouncing up and down in the chair.

The boy stretched out his small arms and screeched as he clambered up until he was standing on the chair, and repeated a made-up word over and over. Carrion moved as far away from the boy as he could get, he didn't know what to do with children, and he had no idea why this one was paying him so much attention.

"Pica!" the boy said again.

Violet kicked the door open again with the toe of her boot, this time less gently, and carried the other boy into the room. Wriggling down from her he ran straight to the wardrobe, opened it and climbed inside laughing.

"Here you are My Lord, fresh water, and I have some fruit," Violet said putting it all down beside him.

"I can't eat that," he said without any explanation, but still expecting her to take it away without even questioning it.

"Well why not? It's nice, and I swear I haven't poisoned it, see look..." Violet said making a show of eating a slice of the green fruit. "I didn't die."

Carrion wasn't amused.

"Your patronising and mocking words do not entertain me."

Violet didn't let the well spoken words fool her into thinking he wasn't angry, but she'd already annoyed him so much already, that she knew one more push wasn't going to make much difference. However as long as he needed her to spy for him, she knew he would have to grant her more lenience than most.

"Well, I didn't find you trying to kill me on the beach very entertaining either," she said picking up the smaller child and setting him on her lap like a shield between them.

"I was angry."

"So was I," Violet said. This was true, she would never have run away from him if she hadn't been; she usually had more control over herself than that. "You cannot talk to people like that."

Carrion froze, he had been in the act of reaching for the cup of water on the table beside him, but her words had stunned him. No one ever said things like that to him, not if they wanted to live. He turned his head to face her, and Violet shrank back into the chair. His expression was so menacing that Violet was quickly reminded of whose presence she was in, and the sense of danger came flooding back. She had been foolish to forget that he was the Prince of Midnight for those few moments when she had made fun of him and spoke back.

The light on the wall next to the door exploded in a flash of overly bright light and then engulfed them in darkness.

"What's happening?" Carrion asked.

Violet looked around into the darkness, if Carrion was concerned, then that ruled out what she had first thought that the power cut had been caused by him. She had thought it had been another of his little games, but now she was truly frightened.

"I don't know. Are you alright?" she whispered. Something inside her told her that this wasn't right, and that she needed to be as quiet as possible. "My Lord? Are you alright?"

Carrion clamped a hand over her mouth and Violet jumped as finding him so close.

"We need to leave now," he ordered. "Take the boy, I'll find the other."

Violet's heart was beating fast, and she was beginning to shake, but she knew she would follow him. He seemed to know what was happening and what to do, and she found his confidence in deciding what should happen reassuring. Following him down the stairs, both of them carrying a child and making it more difficult to move, Violet tried to hush the boy in her arms as they crept out the back of the house.

"Is there somewhere we can hide?" Carrion asked.

Violet didn't even bother asking why, she just began leading the way to the bottom of the garden. A large metal drain cover lay hidden under the overgrown grass, and Violet kicked the grass away with her foot.

"Down there," she said. She waited for him to protest, he didn't, so she put the boy down and tugged at the metal buried into the ground. Digging her fingers down into the mud around it, Violet lifted the metal lid up with a squelching sound and looked down into the deep drain. She looked up again. "We can't take the children down there."

"Where does it go?" Carrion asked looking up at the sky as if he was waiting for something to happen.

Violet looked down into the drain.

"The sea I suppose. I can't say I've ever been down there," Violet answered wondering what he was going to suggest next.

"Remain here and find me when it is all over," Carrion said pushing the child into Violet's arms and locating the ladder inside the dark drain.

"You've leaving me too?" Violet asked shaking again. She didn't want to be alone, she's rather have _his_ company than none at all, especially when she didn't know what was going to happen.

"Tell them you arrived today, understand?" Carrion said before climbing down. Violet leaned over the edge.

"No, I don't understand, come back!"

There was no answer, and Violet realised that she needed to get the children back to the house, and putting the cover back on, hoping there _was _a way out and that she wasn't sealing him into a tomb, Violet took the two children back into the warm.

As soon as she shut the door, the garden was filled with a light from overhead, blocking out all the lightning that was constantly in the sky. Putting the children down since all they wanted to do now was play with their toys, Violet jumped as the front door was thrown open and Holly and Gerret burst in and slammed the door shut behind them.

"They're here for him!" Holly shrieked.

"What?" Violet asked still dazzled by the bright light over their house and in the garden. "Where is this light coming from?"

"The glyphs in the sky! Can't you hear them, they know he's here, we have to get him out," Holly said rushing to the stairs.

Violet stopped staring at the light, she'd never seen so much light in her life, and realised what was happening.

"Holly he's gone already, it's alright, and he knew what was happening even if I didn't..."

Holly sat down on the stairs.

"They are going to search everywhere, what we are going to do?"

"It must have been those children on the beach, they must have told someone they saw Carrion, they already know it's us!" Gerret said sitting down on one of the small wooden kitchen chairs in defeat.

Violet remembered Carrion's last words and ran them over and over in her mind. If she arrived today then how did that change things? The answer was simple; the children would never have seen her. They could claim they saw Carrion all they liked, but if she had arrived today then didn't see her.

"I have a plan, well it's Carrion's but I'm going to use it anyway. Uncle rub some flour on your face and put your dressing gown on, you need to look sick..."

"How is this..."

"Just do it!" Violet snapped. "And quick, if you're right then they are coming."

Violet helped her uncle carry the chair back downstairs and put all the mattresses back in the correct rooms. Everything had to look normal, and as if her lie was the truth. She put her case by the door, and made her bed extra neat so that it looked as though the guest bed had not even been touched yet. Taking a bucket of water she dipped her cloak into it and hung it up next the door, and then she spattered her dress with water so that she looked as if she had just arrived by sea.

Violet managed to accomplish everything faster than she would have thought possible, but no one was wasting time. The glyph was directly over them in the sky trying to find the right house. Finally they heard sounds outside and the door opened to reveal three gruesome looking stitchlings in the doorway.

Violet stood frozen, she rarely saw stitchlings when they were alive, she only knew them as dead skin, and the ones that she was aware of worked in the tower and never spoke to her.

"We must search your home," the tallest told them walking inside and heading for the stairs.

"My husband is very sick, please be as quick as you can," Holly said doing as Violet had instructed, which was lying.

Another figure appeared in the doorway, a small man with a yellow suit. Violet recognized him, she'd seen him with her mistress many times, but she didn't know who he was. He didn't look as if he was going to introduce himself either.

He looked around at the small house with disgust and then shut the door behind him hard.

"You were seen with Christopher Carrion the former Prince of Midnight yesterday," he said, his heavy eyebrows furrowed.

Violet swallowed. Her uncle made a fake cough, and she was reminded of what she was supposed to say.

"I've just arrived today."

"That is very convenient," he said mockingly.

"Sir, there is no one else here, and there is no sign that anyone has been here either," said one of the stitchlings.

The man cursed and looked around the house.

"Check the garden."

Violet answered every question with the same answer, that she had only just arrived that morning. She knew he was trying to trip her up, but the strange thing was the more she said it the more she started believing it. She kept telling herself that they could prove nothing.

"I am getting quite annoyed with you girl, you will tell me your names," he ordered.

Violet paled. Mater Motley would not react well to the fact that one of her seamstresses had been in connection with her grandson's alleged sighting. Before Holly of Gerret could speak, Violet answered for them.

"Ben, Lucy, and Mary Boylan," Violet said. "I am Mary," she added so that Holly would know which part she was playing.

"Well," the man said, he was clearly searching for something threatening to say, but the longer he took the smaller and more ludicrous he looked. "You will remain inside the house whilst the search continues, anyone who leaves the house will be taken to Gorgossium and put in the dungeons on the Queen's orders."

"The Queen?" Violet blurted. She couldn't contain her surprise, how could Mater Motley call herself the Queen? She had no blood claim to the title, she was only ruling because no one had challenged her rights, but she was not Queen.

"Are you questioning our Mistress?"

"N-no," Violet stuttered looking down, she just wanted him to leave. "I am a loyal subject of the _Queen_."

The man looked around at the house and then left, taking his stitchling friends with him.


	6. Elspeth Mousquetaire’s band

**Chapter Six** _Elspeth Mousquetaire's band_

Violet looked out of the window, the bright searching lights of the glyphs had been turned off, but they were still up above them somewhere, hovering in the sky like great mechanical birds.

"Oh what have I done?" she asked as she looked out at the beach, covered with prowling people all still searching for Carrion and hoping for some sort of reward if they were to find him.

"Come away from the window, don't let them see you watching them," Holly instructed as she tried to feed her youngest son something mashed up in a bowl.

Violet sighed and began pacing up and down the room, but as it was small, this resulted in a series of small strides and frequent turns.

"Don't do that either dear," Holly said. Violet stopped, looked for a free chair and sat down.

"Sorry," she said. "It's just, he's waiting for me, and I can't go if they're still here."

Holly stopped forcing food into the child's stubbornly closed mouth and stared at her.

"You are better off staying with us for the time being," Holly said hoping Violet would listen. "I don't know what he asked you to do, but it's dangerous right now, and we've already made up many lies for him."

"But it's cold outside, and he's injured!"

"Alright fine, if you care more for him than you do for your own welfare then go on, go! Otherwise stay here and wait, he's not at risk from cold weather I'm sure," Holly said in such a commanding motherly way that Violet felt it wasn't her place to disobey.

She found that odd, since she had been very ready to backtalk Carrion. But her aunt still treated her as a child, and it was sometimes hard to defend yourself when treated so. It was easier to obey than rebel when someone was looking after you. Maybe Carrion knew this too; maybe that was why he hadn't been quite so demanding as she'd remembered him?

He was still rude though, demanding. Carrion liked controlling people, and when he couldn't, he got angry and would frighten them into obedience. Yet he was always restrained in an almost terrifyingly gentleman-like way, which Violet could never understand.

Unlike most men she knew, she could never imagine Carrion saying anything improper or indecent, and for that same reason, even though she knew he was certainly not adverse to killing people, she felt safer with him than most. Maybe that was why Princess Boa had kept him around her so long; there must have been a reason after all.

The older boy dropped a spoon and it clattered onto the floor making Violet jump.

"What are you thinking of Violet?" Holly asked as she retrieved the spoon, and gave it back to the boy.

Violet frowned, she didn't know what to say. Did she own up to what she had actually been thinking of, or did she voice something different?

"I was wondering…" Violet couldn't think, her mind was trapped on the image of Princess Boa she had salvaged from somewhere. "What do you think it would be like, being as beautiful as Princess Boa?"

Holly stopped being the mother, and just became herself. Violet knew she had touched something Holly must have thought of herself once, and now she was imagining. Violet let herself wonder too, would it be good or bad?

"You don't need to worry about that, you're very pretty as you are," she said finally.

Violet looked at her reflection in the window. After nearly a full two days without washing her hair properly, she looked more like an old rag doll than a girl. She knew Holly was only saying nice things out of family affection.

"I mean beautiful. Not for myself, I don't really care for myself; I wear a veil most of the time anyway. I mean, for her?"

Holly thought again. She didn't understand where the questions were coming from, but it was better than silence or Violet's worrying. The two questions were so entirely different, but Holly was determined to give a proper answer, it was a meaningful question after all.

"I suppose beauty comes at a price," she said after a pause.

"I think it was too high."

"Then ask yourself this instead, had she not been so beautiful, would she still have been so loved?"

Violet made herself silent. She had never considered this, and she found herself obsessed with the _what if_ of it.

"Only two people know," Violet said at length. "And one of them I would never dare to ask."

"Carrion?"

"No, the other," Violet said to Holly's immense surprise. "That's supposing he's alive somewhere."

"Well, I would very much like to hear his answer," Holly said knowing Violet was never going to ask Carrion, and so her jesting was innocent. Violet smiled.

"Yes, me too," she said honestly.

The hours past by Violet, bringing more _what it's_ to her question, and giving her mental employment for the long time they were forced to remain inside the house. Gerret was sleeping, and Violet didn't blame him, why sit and worry, when you could sleep and dream of better things?

But as the hours did go by, Violet realised she was running out of time. Eventually she stood up so fast that Holly gasped.

"If I don't leave now, he is going to die in this cold wind, and it would have all been for nothing," she stated grabbing a dark purple cloak from her case and wrapping it around her.

Holly didn't stop her this time. Violet's questions had made her think, and even if Violet was not fully aware of where her subconscious thoughts were taking her, Holly had an idea. If her niece was becoming interested in the idea of love, the kind where beauty didn't matter, then she wasn't going to prevent her leaving anymore. She didn't know if Carrion was mixed into this or not, but before she could let her go, she had to ask.

"Violet, don't be angry but I have to ask before you leave," Holly said stopping her as she reached for the back door. "You and Carrion, it's well, platonic isn't it?"

Violet gaped at her, she felt as if she'd just been asked the most shocking thing in the world. She didn't even know if she still had the ability to answer.

"Of course it is! I have only ever seen him what, three times alone? And two of those were here, and the other was when I was like ten."

Holly nodded slowly and looked away ashamed, but still not ready to give up.

"I am sorry, but I don't know what happens up in that tower of his, for all I know you might be better acquainted than we all think."

"I don't have to listen to this, what you are insinuating is very degrading to me. I didn't earn my place by doing favours!"

"Well you keep it that way; you know what happened to Boa."

"I am not Boa! And I don't intend to be, besides, I'm sure did nothing she shouldn't have either! I just can't stay here knowing he's out there in the cold, I work for him now, I have a responsibility for him, and considering your poor opinion of me I am glad to be leaving," Violet said opening the curtain covering the window and peering outside. "I have to get to the bottom of the garden."

"Please don't leave hating me Violet, please understand why I asked."

"I don't hate you," Violet told her opening the backdoor a small gap and watching as a line of light flooded out onto the grass. Violet slammed the door shut quickly. "But it was none of your business."

"I know, I apologise."

Violet couldn't reply, she felt polluted by what Holly had said to her, as if she had done something wrong and was being looked down upon.

"We have to turn out the lights," Violet instructed turning back into the room and switching of all the lamps.

"Violet please wait…"

"No, I have to go now, it's so cold out there," Violet said in fluster, she wanted to leave as soon as she could.

"Wait Violet, wait!" Holly called, and then handed her a lantern from one of the kitchen cupboards. "Be careful."

Violet stepped out into the garden and shut the door behind her, looking up at the sky to check it looked clear Violet dashed towards the bottom of the garden, and crouched down in the grass listening. She could hear nothing but the wind whistling past her. She thought she looked stupid crouching in the grass, but something told her to stay down, even if she could see and hear no one.

Digging her fingers into the mud around the drain cover, Violet lifted it up, clambered inside and pulled the lid down on top of her. It was heavy, and it dropped back into place with a loud clang that made Violet shake with it, and her ears tingle. Holding onto the ladder, she began to climb down on the slippery rungs. The metal ladder was cold, and her fingers were only barely gripping a hold, but there was no other way out now but down.

In the dark, Violet gasped as her foot slipped from the ladder and she slipped down into the depths, the lantern toppling down with her and hitting the bottom before she did. Landing in the water below, Violet fell on her ankle and felt the cold dirty water soak into her dress.

Sitting in the flowing water Violet reached toward her ankle and rubbed it, feeling the stinging of tears in her eyes. Crawling up onto her knees Violet struggled up and hobbled the first few steps until she was walking straight again, and then picked up her pace.

Running through the water, terrified someone was going to come after her in the darkness, Violet lit up the lantern, and was disappointed that it only illuminated a small way in front of her. Violet ran into it blindly. As she ran she cried, the pain in her ankle was sharp and she was frightened she was going to fall into the water again. There were other splashing noises in the water other than her own footsteps, and she was revolted to discover that the water was home to other tiny creatures, with dank fur and sharp teeth.

After a clumsy jog lasting almost half an hour, Violet came to the end of the tunnel and found who she was looking for immediately. The relief she felt that he was there made a fresh wave of tears come. She didn't want him seeing them, so she dropped the lamp down by her side so that it only lit up the floor.

Carrion was pacing the large water-duct entrance to keep warm, the wind didn't reach inside, but it whipped past outside in a steady gale. The weather now looked formidable, and had become worse than when she had left the house. The light drizzle of rain had become heavier, and was now being blown sideways by the wind.

"They were looking for you, it was this man in a yellow suit, and he was small, and had staring eyes..." Violet said, her teeth chattering and standing lopsidedly to help her ankle.

"Kasper Wolfswinkle?" he asked. His voice sounded pained and frozen, as if he was shivering too, but Violet couldn't tell. She didn't want to lift the lamp in case he should see her tears.

"I don't know, maybe. But we can't go back there; it's crawling with people looking for you."

"Very well, then we will find somewhere else to rest," Carrion said in a voice that was so unconcerned that Violet wondered why she had even bothered to worry about him, he was clearly fine. "You will lead the way."

"To where?"

"There must be a town nearby, from the maps I own I know there are towns all over this island, all within walking distance," Carrion told her. "We will find some place out of the way, and stay there."

Carrion must have know what he was talking about, because twenty minutes later they spotted lights coming from the distance, and when they didn't disappear, Violet knew it was town and not just the lightning playing tricks. She looked at Carrion impressed, and thankful that they were almost there, she could still walk on her ankle but it wasn't exactly comfortable.

As they grew closer, Violet heard the unmistakable sound of someone singing, and realised someone was coming up the same path they were travelling on. Although she couldn't see them yet as they were over the other side of the small hill they yet had to climb, Violet knew there was nowhere for them to hide.

Tugging off her cloak as fast as she could, she flung it at Carrion and told him to hide himself under it. He ended up looking even more unusual wearing a purple cloak with his already strange array of clothing, but he was nothing compared to what came around the corner.

Violet gaped as she recognised the girl walking towards her with the bright pink hair. The rain might be obscuring their vision, but she couldn't mistake her, it was one of her own relatives from a great uncle's side, Elspeth Mousquetaire. The girl beamed, and her joyful companions stopped howling out song words and fell silent.

"Violet!" she squealed.

Violet felt her blood run cold, she didn't need any more of her family mixed up in this. She shot a pleading look at Carrion and caught his eye, his gaze told her she was safe, he wouldn't be introducing himself.

"Elspeth, what are you doing here? You should be at school," Violet asked puzzled.

"Who cares about school? Mater Motley arrested most of the teachers anyway, apparently they were teaching us wrong things or something. I'm doing something much more fun than school, meet my band," she said happily letting all the people behind her shake Violet's hand in a rough way. "What are _you_ doing here?"

"Midnight isn't very safe at the moment, as you know, so I'm looking for lodgings here," Violet said hoping Elspeth wouldn't ask too many questions.

Elspeth looked over Carrion with a confused glance.

"You know some funny people Violet," she said finally. "You and your friend should come and see us play in the town, we're staying in the Twelfth Tower Inn."

Violet felt Carrion's reaction to that by the small movement he made next to her, she wondered if he found it insulting or amusing.

"Oh, so the town isn't far then?" Violet asked hoping to get moving again. The rain was easing, but it still wasn't stopping yet.

"No not far, just down there. There are places to rent on the outskirts if that's what you're looking for. Anyway, we better be on with our walk, we thought the rain might make us feel more like writing a song," Elspeth said smiling and then signalling for her little band to follow her. Violet watched them leave them, and then break out into songs again once they had gone a little way.

"Well Violet, a band, how the Mousquetaire's have fallen."

"I could say the same about you, and if you we're not listening, she has left school only because your grandmother put all her teachers in the dungeon," Violet said annoyed. She couldn't see his face as it was covered with the cloak, but for once he didn't seem angry at her free way of speaking, maybe he'd got used to it, or maybe he just wasn't paying attention.

"Handy little thing however is that Elspeth," he said after a time. Violet stopped hobbling along and waited for him to tell her why. "Have you any money about you?"

"I can get money if you want it, you are paying my wages I suppose, and I suppose also that I will get it back," Violet said shrewdly.

"You will not go short of money when this is over, I assure you. We will rent one of these houses the girl told us of, you can then return to Midnight, and I will continue my plans in peace."

Violet supposed that was one way of saying she'd outstayed her welcome.

"You want me to leave?" she asked. She felt unenthusiastic about going home, she rarely had a break from work, and was reluctant to go back. Not that walking about in the rain was much of an improvement over what she'd usually be doing.

"I will tell you when to leave, and you will not go before," he said leading the way towards the town.

Violet frowned. One moment he was saying she had to leave, the next he was telling her not to, Violet decided just to stay quiet. Maybe his wounds had begun to hurt and he'd changed his mind about her going.


	7. The occupants of Midsummer Mansion

A/N: This is a 'switch' chapter, meaning halfway though it changes pov. Really it should be another chapter, but then I'd two really short ones and I find those annoying, so one big one it is.

_Lordess_: Thank you for the review! The last chapter I found _really_ hard to write, certain things had to happen in order for the next 'events', hopefully it should be smoother now that I'm back on track again. :)

Chapter Seven 

**The occupants of Midsummer Mansion**

Violet felt like she was living in Limbo for the next few days, waiting to be told what to do next. Ordered from one task to next in a daze, life with Carrion was tiresome, constant was the stream of tasks she had to do, and his impatience at not being able to do them himself made him irritable and unpleasant to be with.

The house they had found, or rather Violet had found, was called 'Midsummer Mansion' yet it felt nothing like midsummer and certainly wasn't a mansion. She felt the name sounded like some sort of trick, to entice people to rent it, but then she was hoping not to spend that much time in it anyway so she didn't care. The leaking roof, and creaking pipes gave away its age, and no amount of fresh paint inside could disguise the fact that it was in need of repair.

Violet paid the rent in advance for the first few months that she assumed they would be there for, charging to her father's account and ready to blame all on Carrion if he should complain, after all it wasn't her idea to stay here. Not really knowing how long they would be there, a few months or longer, Violet had tried to make it as liveable as possible.

Wandering down to the town and asking dressmakers and tailors to make them clothes, for herself and for her 'sick bother who couldn't leave the house to be fitted' Violet had managed to make the prince look matching in his attire, and had thrown away the clothes he had stolen from goodness knows where.

After two days of sneaking about the town, lying to almost everyone about why she was there, and trying to get them to run errands for Carrion without them getting wise to them, something happened that threw her so far of course that she had a hard time accepting that it had actually happened. In truth it seemed impossible that someone could find them after they had been so careful to keep hidden, that Violet's nerves were so shaken, as she had thought herself safe, that she promised she would never make that mistake every again. From here on in she'd never be safe again.

A strange person had arrived on the doorstep in such a state of distress that Violet had been too frightened to let them in. Yet the person wouldn't leave, he was obviously in too much pain to notice the door slammed in his distorted face, and he struck on the door with a clawed hand continuously, until Violet shook with fear from what was behind it.

Eventually the uninvited disturbance had made Carrion venture downstairs, and he put his hand on Violet's quaking shoulder to steady her. Staring paralysed at the door, Violet didn't even notice that he was even there. The boy outside pleaded desperately into the wooden door to be let in, and as Carrion reached out to pull the door open Violet knocked his hand away hard, not even realising that she'd struck him.

"No," she gasped in a frightened breath. "Don't let him in!"

Carrion didn't find her anxiety amusing, as he would have done under any other circumstances. The fact that she'd knocked his hand away was more present in his mind, yet he could tell that if he were to try and reprimand her for this, she wouldn't hear any of it. She was more afraid of the pathetic creature outside than she was of him, which bothered him greatly, and of which he didn't understand.

"He will not harm you," he said at length, watching as Violet backed away from the door and him, and then when she was far enough away he opened it. Violet closed her eyes tight, and then pried them open as if she could bear to miss anything after all.

The boy from outside fell to the floor at Carrion's feet, and looked up with tears in his eyes.

"My Lord," he said shivering and his voice frail with the cold outside. "I've searched so hard to find you."

"Get inside, and do not go near the girl," Carrion instructed, slamming the door closed after the boy had crawled forward a few paces. "I hope for your sake no one has followed you."

The blue skinned boy looked at Violet with pained eyes, they were filled with clouds as if he couldn't see very clearly, and inside them lay the something that frightened Violet, the part of him that wasn't normal. Violet felt sorry for him as he tried to stand, and then fell back on his knees in defeat. Something was taking him over and she didn't know what it was.

Her pity didn't outweigh her fear however, and she stayed as far back as she could get. Carrion also didn't help him, just walked past him looking down on his bowed head.

"The medicine master," the boy pleaded his voice scraping its way out from his throat in a raspy sound.

"Now now Letheo, manners," Carrion said in a sarcastic voice that Violet found irksome, and he wasn't even speaking to her. "And here I was thinking you were concerned about _me_."

"I was! I am!" Letheo quickly amended.

"No," Carrion said in the same patronising voice he'd used before. "You only wanted the remedy."

"Please master, I have been fighting it for so long, it wont be much longer. You must help me!" Letheo cried scrabbling towards Carrion in a movement that was definitely not human, Violet screamed in surprise and then stopped. She was sorry for being so afraid of him, but he wasn't right.

"Must you be so cruel?" Violet demanded of Carrion. "Can't you see he's in pain? Give him his medicine!"

"Don't let him in! Give him his medicine!" Carrion repeated as if in a joke, but he was clearly not amused. "Next you'll want to keep him as a pet."

Violet said nothing, he was acting just as he had the day she'd become angry and ended up on the beach convinced she was about to die. She'd learned already it was best to keep your mouth shut and let him calm down on his own. Suddenly Carrion seemed to abandon his anger, and a smile that was always uniquely his came onto his face. Violet didn't know anyone else whose smile meant something bad was about to happen to you.

"Take his hand, and I will give him his medicine," Carrion said looking directly at Violet.

Violet stood stunned. She was clearly afraid of the creature that was had come searching, so why ask this of her, unless he wanted to see her afraid.

"Monster," she spat standing stock-still. He would make her do the one thing she was so scared of, for his own entertainment, and if that wasn't enough, he'd even managed to entangle guilt into it too. If she didn't do it, the boy would remain without what he'd travelled so long to find.

"Letheo's waiting Violet, are you going to make him beg even more? And what a wonderful word in such a situation, I wonder who is the real monster here. I, for making you face what you are frightened of, the boy on the floor turning away from that which is human," Carrion paused making Violet shiver. "Or you?"

"Me? What have I done?" she asked annoyed and frightened at the same time.

"You deny him his rights as a fellow being because he is different to you, take his hand, apologise. You have been very rude," Carrion said.

Violet knew he was right, but the way he was saying it, in the commanding tone made her even more reluctant. She felt ashamed that it had taken him to shout at her to realise she was in the wrong.

"No," she said shaking.

"Do not disobey me Violet," Carrion warned. Violet edged towards the figure sat on the floor slowly.

"And you promise, he will have his medicine?" Violet asked before crouching down, ready to run at any moment.

"I give you my word," Carrion said, his eyes drinking in the horrified look on her face with satisfaction.

Violet couldn't hold back the terrified whimper that escaped her as she touched the boy's cold and lifeless hand with her own. A second passed in which Violet realised she had been afraid of nothing, and then it was quickly shattered. The boy clamped his hand on her and snarled, showing a row of sharp white teeth.

Violet couldn't move, he had hold of her, and then he pushed her away violently and scrabbled over to the table where Carrion had left the medicine before leaving them alone. The boy drank the entire bottle and sat on the floor exhausted. Violet didn't dare move, the liquid in the bottle had changed him, he wasn't frightening to look at anymore, but still she was afraid.

"They call me a beast-boy," Letheo said solemnly. "He has cured me, I shall never be a beast-boy again."

Violet's chest heaved, she felt like she had been holding her breath too long, even though she had no recollection of doing so. Carrion was back; he had in his hand a piece of paper.

"Sign it," he said holding it out to Letheo. "I have work for you to do, and just because I have freed you of your curse, does not mean you are free of your obligation me."

Letheo took the paper and scribbled something on it. He looked tired, and after he'd handed it back, Carrion told him he could rest on the sofa.

With Letheo there to tend to the prince, Violet found herself with large amount of free time on her hands. Her only duties were cooking meals, which were hardly taxing as Carrion still refused to eat anything that required chewing. Apparently his injures included his jaw, which he confided finally had been pushed out of place and was still painful. Suddenly his strange comments about food began to make sense, and Violet realised he hadn't been being rude, he'd truly just not been able to eat what Holly and even _she_ had given him.

She supposed it would only be a matter of days before she was sent back to Gorgossium, and was just waiting for Carrion to grow tried of her being there. The only good thing about being in the house was the bathroom, it was big and white, and the bath was longer than she was. Violet spent most of her time washing her hair, and lying in hot water. It was usually raining outside, and with no one to talk to since Letheo, and now Carrion, were ignoring her, she had nothing better to do.

Finally she got the order, and after teaching Letheo how to make omelettes, the only meal she was ever any good at, left the house and paid for a boat passage back to Midnight. She was going home at last.

* * *

Elspeth plucked at her guitar string idly, she couldn't get the image of that strange person accompanying Violet out of her head. Even though she hadn't seen his face, she had the strange sense that she knew him. It was the same strange feeling that happened when you saw a face you recognised, but didn't know where from.

She had been disappointed when Violet hadn't come to see her in the inn, and finally had given up hope of seeing her again, until taking a walk in the town and spotting her going into the bakers.

Hiding behind the crowd of merry tourists that made the town so busy, Elspeth watched Violet purchase food and then walk out towards the end of the shopping street. Sneaking along behind her, careful to stay hidden, she realised that something wasn't right. The strange person wasn't with her, and Elspeth didn't know if that was a good or a bad thing, just that something wasn't right.

Why hadn't Violet come to see her? She'd been waiting in the inn for days hoping she would come, but she had been avoiding her for some reason. She wanted to talk to Violet about all the strange people that had been walking about on the day she had first met her, and was looking forward to discussing the now famous Idjit sighting of Christopher Carrion. As it was, she was being ignored.

Violet opened the door to one of the rickety looking town houses; it was the only one on the right-hand side of the street, and looked all the more unstable alone. The house had three floors, and a small set of grey stone steps to get to the front door. As the lightning flashed over her head, Elspeth folded her arms and stood looking at it annoyed.

Elspeth was about to walk towards the house and knock on the door, when a movement out of the corner of her eye stopped her. Her first reaction was to hide, and she listened to it. The creature that came stumbling out of the nearby shadows was heading straight for the house that Violet had gone into. Feeling seized by panic, Elspeth didn't know what to do, did she confront it and stop it, of did she let it continue with whatever it was planning to do?

But it was too late for heroics now; Violet had opened the door, taken one look at the strange monster of a boy, and slammed it in his face. The creature had at once begun to bang on the door until Elspeth was convinced the neighbours were going to hear.

Looking up at the upstairs window, Elspeth was sure she saw someone's face peering out of the window, but it was gone too fast for her to see who it was. She had the horrible feeling that whoever it had been had been looking straight at her.

Feeling shivers run up her back, she jumped as the door to the house was opened on the boy again, and the light from inside flooded out. Elspeth thought she was going to scream at whom she saw in the doorway. Violet was standing behind him was a look of horror on her face, almost mirroring the look on _her_ face.

A small gasp of shock escaped her as she fell back into the wall of a house behind her, she couldn't believe what she was seeing. The Lord of Midnight was Violet's mysterious companion.


	8. Discovered already

Chapter Eight 

**_Discovered already_**

To Try and make light of what her situation was when she returned wasn't a possibility. Violet wasn't ignorant to the danger she'd placed herself in by returning to the tower. Her face was known to the stitchlings and the yellow-suited-man that had come to her uncle's house in search of Carrion, she had no doubt at all that should she lift her veil in front of anyone she would be recognised and punished. Even if they could prove nothing, she was still entangled in the sightings of Carrion, and she knew that was as good as any reason for Mater Motley's wrath.

She didn't want to think of what the punishment might be, if it should happen she was hoping for banishment. There was a law in Midnight that stated any personnel who held a position of honour in the towers had to have a trial before punishment, or choose to be banished. But now that Carrion wasn't here to enforce them, she didn't fancy her chances against Mater Motley.

But she had to return; she had no living any other way, and given the choice she wouldn't want to leave either. Apart from the long hours of constant sewing, life as a seamstress was fairly easy. Her meals were cooked for her, her clothes were kept clean, and she had unlimited access to learning being as there were tons of books all over the building. There was nothing important to read, the prince had everything of value in _his_ tower, but in terms of furthering her ability to read, she was in the right place. Books cost money, here they were free, and for those reasons Violet risked returning.

Carrion had never actually explicitly told her that she had to return to being a seamstress; she assumed she was free of returning, but where else would she go?

The thirteenth tower hadn't appeared foreboding since the first time she entered it so many years ago, but as she looked up at it now from the bottom of the cold dank steps leading to the entrance, Violet didn't think it home anymore, now it was as imposing to her as to any criminal expecting a sentence inside.

As happy as she was to leave and come home, she wished she could trade it all in for another week with Carrion, even with his pointless demands of constantly cleaning the floor and dusting everything, he was better company than the danger that awaited her now. Even the boy Letheo had become promising as a potential friend. They hardly ever spoke to one another, but they were drawn together by the simple fact that they both shared the same secret.

Violet walked up to the guards on the door and stated her name, they looked her over before letting her in, and Violet felt her cheeks burn with annoyance. Had she been wearing her seamstresses' dress they wouldn't have dared looked at her like they had.

Heading straight for her shared quarters, Violet changed her dress and pulled the netted veil down firmly until nothing of her face showed. Only now did she relax, and heading to the highest room in the tower, Violet held her breath until she felt dizzy.

"Which one are you?" Mater Motley snapped as soon as Violet entered the room.

To her horror the man in the yellow suit was stood next to her with a content smugness about him. Violet wondered what was happening.

"Violet Mousquetaire," Violet answered immediately. Life with Carrion over the past few days had made her used to answering impertinent questions, and she found a hint of cockiness in her own voice that she had been using against Carrion for her own amusement. She needed to rid herself of it and soon; Mater Motley wouldn't tolerate it as her grandson had.

"You hear that my Queen? How rude she is!" Kasper Wolfswinkle said hoping to cause trouble.

"She's a Mousquetaire, her whole family is bitter about the Carrion's," Mater Motley told him as if Violet wasn't in the room to hear it. "She's harmless enough," she added waving her bony hand over Violet as if she didn't matter.

"And where have you been girl? Answer me!"

"I went to help my sick uncle, I did ask for permission…" Violet answered as fast as she could, she was determined to get the words out before she became too frightened to speak.

"Silence!" Mater Motley shouted. The room stopped moving, and it couldn't have got any more silent had there been no one in it.

But something had come over Wolfswinkle's face, a slow and sluggish appearance of remembrance. Violet realised in by relieving herself of one crime, absence, she had unwittingly incriminated herself for another.

"Why do you make your seamstresses wear these terrible veils, it must impair their sewing abilities something awful," Wolfswinkle said with a smarmy look in Violet's direction.

Violet felt herself become light-headed, she'd managed to last but five minutes in the tower, she was going to be discovered right now. Her career as a spy hadn't even begun and it was already over.

"Because I have no wish to see their faces," Mater Motley said loosing interest in Violet and returning to her work. "Besides, they are all ugly, every one of them."

Violet felt disappointed, she was ugly?

"Surely not…" Wolfswinkle said taking a step towards Violet making her shrink away.

"There have been other motives, but now that my grandson is no longer _alive, _they are unfounded," she said in a voice that was content to explain herself, which Violet had never heard before. Usually she just gave them commands. However Violet hadn't missed the hesitation over the word: alive.

"Thought he'd take a fancy to one?" Wolfswinkle teased coming even closer. Violet didn't want him near her, not when he was speaking in such a way. She knew what he was trying to do, cover his back in case she turned out not to be the one he was looking for, but unfortunately for Violet she knew she was. "And I'm sure Miss Violet is very pretty, you were wise to cover her face."

"Yes," Mater Motley said only half listening. "They were all a danger to me once, there cannot be two queens in this hour. But now there is no need for them to hide I suppose…"

"There you are girl, remove the veil," Wolfswinkle demanded.

"I am very shy Sir," Violet said hoping that Mater Motley would call an end to the conversation since it had been a long one of little importance.

"I said remove it!" he shouted grabbing the veil from her face and holding it high in his hand like a trophy. "You!" he shouted as soon as he saw her face. "Mistress this is the one! The one who was seen with Lord Carrion! The one that disappeared from the house!"

Mater Motley stopped what she was doing immediately, dropped the dead skin she was sewing and stood in a slow movement. Violet couldn't breathe, her mouth felt dry and her hands were shaking. Mater Motley was coming towards her, just like the day she'd refused to sew the skin, the needle in her old grey hands and many others about her person ready to be used against Violet.

Violet gasped and flung herself down on the floor in front of her, there was nothing to do but beg now, beg to be spared, beg to remain alive.

"You saw my grandson, and you did not come to tell me!" Mater Motley said still walking slowly towards her, the needle in her hand poised and ready to be thrown.

A gasp ran through the room, their mistress believed Wolfswinkle; the lord was alive! Violet looked up with tears in her eyes and wondered how she was going to get out of the room alive. The idea of telling the truth never even entered her mind, the only way out was through a web of lies, and with every step the old woman took towards her Violet was thinking of her fake story.

"My mistress, he happened upon me! I swear I didn't know anything of him, I was just taking a break from helping my uncle, and there he was walking towards me!" Violet screeched.

"And you aided him?" Motley stated rather than asked. Violet rose herself to her knees and shook her head as fast as she could.

"No!"

"You are a liar!" Motley shrieked hitting Violet heavily across her face. The needle in her hand caught her bottom lip and ripped it across the right-hand side, leaving a stream of red blood running down her face.

Violet fell backwards onto the floor, but Mater Motley wasn't finished with her. Before she could move to cover her face a rain of sharp silver sewing needles began embedding themselves in her legs and the top of her arm where her skin was exposed.

"Please, have mercy on me! He frightened me, he made me help him, he said he'd kill me if I didn't, and I couldn't die, I had to take care of my uncle!" Violet screamed in a voice that sounded reminiscent of a pained wild animal. The words were coming out of her in one stream of hysteria-induced lies, thought up only to keep her alive. Over and over she told herself that the pain would end soon, she didn't add that it might end because she would die.

Motley lifted her hand and the needles began their blood soaked journey back to her through the air. Violet lay silent, not even daring to cry out from the pain anymore.

"He _made_ you?" Motley repeated from Violet's screamed defence. "So you became his harlot?"

"No!" Violet shouted her pride wounded, she had enough energy still to defend herself in that way. "I did not!"

"You see Kasper, this is why I have to make them wear veils, they are all decadent and immoral, I cannot trust them with anyone. Don't think I don't know that you used to put dissolute letters in his clothes pockets! Even if he found them amusing, I did not!" she said half to Wolfswinkle and half to the rest of the room.

Violet felt sick, she had most certainly never done _that_, and she was surprised to hear that the others, for whom she had taken to be old shrivelled spinsters had had found entertainment in such a way.

"Yes, yes, I know all about that," she said in an added note to herself.

Violet tried to get to her feet, but her movement attracted Motley's attention.

"And you, scapegrace, it seems he didn't want you after all, why he sent you back here!" she said in a satisfied tone.

Violet wondered why the woman was acting so strange, why wasn't she beginning punished? Why was she being attacked in this way? She knew so much that Mater Motley would kill her to own, but she wasn't even considering her as important.

Violet realised suddenly that to Mater Motley she had been at her uncle's house all the time, and that she must have thought Carrion had stayed with them and then left. She must be thinking that Violet hadn't told her about him being there because they had become lovers. Violet found herself thanking everything higher than herself that the woman wasn't thinking past the obvious first idea.

After realising this, Violet knew her only way out was to pretend Motley had got everything right. If she kept denying it, Motley would see she was telling the truth and then begin to wonder along a new track of ideas. Violet thought she could take the dent to her reputation in order to stay alive.

"He was kind to me!" Violet pleaded with her body shaking. Now she was lying on top of her lie already, and she was dragging herself further down with them all. "He asked me not to betray him."

"Of course he was you foolish girl, do you think he was going to take you with him? What are you? I shall tell you! A failure of a seamstress, a disgrace to your already disgraced family, and a block-head with no backbone!" Mater motley said loosing interest in her grovelling at her feet. What did she want with a stupid girl? She had other things, more important things to think of, like what to do now that it was certain her grandson wasn't dead. "Guards!"

Two well-built strong looking men appeared in the doorway, their backs straight as if they were statues of guards and not living men. Their faces were too high above for Violet to see, but she could tell they cared nothing for what they might be asked to do to her.

"To the dungeons mistress?" Kasper Wolfswinkle questioned looking hesitant.

"Yes, a week with only water to drink will be sufficient," she said in a tired voice. "Then you will throw her into the street!" she shouted making everyone flinch.

"Yes your majesty," one of the guards said in a monotone voice that seemed devoid of thought and life.

"And make sure when you do, they all know what her crime is, and how she has disgraced herself," Motley added to Violet's aghast face.

The guards each seized hold of Violet's arms, and began dragging her out of the room, not until she was around the corner did she start resisting them, too shocked to do anything before.

"Only a week your majesty?" Wolfswinkle asked warily, his large grey eyebrows raised in questioning.

"Unfortunately she comes under the protection of the midnight laws that my foolish grandson invented," she said sitting back down and retrieving her sewing. "I must reward you for your excellent intuition, I shall forgive you your incompetence for letting her escape before."

With one hand Mater Motley thanked him, on the other she took it away, preferring to keep her subjects in a state of nervousness than to let them think themselves useful.

Violet dug her heels in the floor and tried to pull against the men taking her further and further below the level of the ground. Her pleading fell on deaf ears, and when she finally arrived at her cell, she was thrown inside without any words to accompany her in her loneliness.

There were ear splitting screams from further down the row of cells, and Violet felt thankful that she wasn't down there with them. Sitting down on the floor and hugging her knees up to her chest, Violet steeled herself for seven days of hunger. She didn't even know if it was possible to stay alive for seven days without food, but she had very little choice but to try. Wiping her hand across her torn lip, Violet closed her eyes and waited, silent and alone.


	9. The Union leader and the Servant

**Chapter Nine **The Union leader and the Servant

The unclean smell of the dungeons clung to the inside of the lung like a contamination, coating the throat and the nose with the feeling of dirt. The sound of the constant pleading, screaming and ramblings of those in torment crept into the ears like a beetle, burrowing into any inner silence the listener might have left.

Slime and filth stuck to the clothes of the captives, and the taste of the water in the old wooden buckets was bitter and stale. The horror of the dungeons seeped into a person through every sense and took over the body until all there was left was an unending series of infections.

Violet coughed until her throat was raw, she rubbed her eyes until they were red and inflamed and ground her nails down until they bled from being bitten and from scraping at the door. A bucket of water was placed outside the door every two days, and stretching out her hand Violet could bring the old water to her lips by cupping it in her palm. He face became gaunt with lack of food, her skin turned from it's normal pale shade to a unhealthy yellow and her eyes became dull.

"My Lord," Violet mumbled into the darkness, she had been left alone without food for days, and was now beginning to hallucinate. Had she known that this was what was happening she would have snapped herself out of it, but there was no real life around to compare her visions with.

"My Lord," she said again, stretching out her hand in the dark.

"Mousquetaire?" someone whispered from the other side of the bars.

Violet looked around the dark cell in a daze.

* * *

Violet had been put upon on something. The something was moving, and was jogging against her poor hungry stomach. She felt as if someone was stamping on her. Disorientated for a moment, Violet felt as if she should open her eyes she would see someone's face leering down. However all she saw was the floor moving along under her and someone's feet coming in and out of view as they walked.

Closing her eyes again, Violet realised she was being taken somewhere. Being slung over someone's should accounted for the pains in her stomach. Her heart began to beat faster. Was she being taken to her death? Had this silent person come to harm her? But too weak to do anything about it, Violet had to surrender to the person carrying her; hoping whoever it was, was on her side.

The figure walked with the girl on his shoulder, one hand holding her there, the other carrying a small mirror. In the dungeons the sound and smell had almost made him want to turn back, but there were consequences for disobeying orders and he didn't want to occur them.

The girl's clothes smelled of damp and rot, and he wished he didn't have to hold her so close to him, but after a time the smell became less potent. Holding the mirror out in front of him to see around the corners before he turned down them, Letheo did his best to move out of the dungeons as quietly as he could.

His skin was shining with the effort of breaking in, and the carrying of the girl, the strange blue tint that he had thought part of his ailment was still there, although the removal of the best from inside him had changed him dramatically. The sad clouds behind his eyes had gone now, and although he was still in Carrion's control he felt free.

For free he was, yet he couldn't abandon his master. No one outside of Midnight would understand this, why he still allowed himself to be treated like a dog. But the girl understood. Loyalty had put her in the dungeons; they were both the same.

Hurrying, Letheo took Violet out into the Midnight air, amazed that he had succeeded, and laid her down on the back steps of the towers. No one paid them any heed, there were always sick people in the city, always beggars, and no matter what you did to try and cut their numbers, they were always there… invisible.

"Miss?" he asked urgently, his voice low and soft. He tapped lightly on the side of her face. "Can you hear me?"

Violet could hear him, but she couldn't respond as she was taken over by a fit of coughs that made her body shake.

"Letheo?" she asked hoarsely.

"Yes, it's me," he replied looking down. "I must get you to shelter. Where do you live? Where is your family?"

Violet felt dizzy and sick with hunger, she couldn't remember. Panic seized her as she tried desperately to remember.

"I don't know!"

Letheo thought he really didn't have the time for this, he'd just risked his life in rescuing her, and he was on a time limit for returning to Carrion, knowing he wouldn't be very popular if he were late.

"Calm, think," he instructed. "You are in shock, I understand that, but I have orders and so do you, so I command you to think."

Violet imagined her Lord looking at her in that disappointed way that he usually looked at her in, and felt the urge to try and do what she was told just to make him stop. Slowly her mind began to come back to her now that she began to realise that she was no longer a captive but escaping.

Violet could see a street sign in front of her eyes, and holding her mauled hands out in front of her face she began to trace the letters on the imaginary sign.

"C-H-I-M-E-R," she said her voice a pure sound one moment one second, then dropping to a forced whisper the next as she struggled to speak. "R-O-A-D."

"Chimer Road?" Letheo repeated to make sure he had heard the spelt word in his mind correctly.

Violet nodded slightly. Suddenly she looked at Letheo with horror as if she had just only realised something.

"My Lord," she said gasping. "I'm dieing!"

Letheo didn't know how to respond, the exclamation had been so sudden and out of context that he just stared at her. What was she seeing? Was her Lord just a figure of speech, or was she really speaking to Carrion?

"Yes," he replied finally. He supposed he could have answered better, but what was the point in lying to someone; especially at the end of their life? "I must get you home," he added after.

"I don't want to die!"

"No one does Mousquetaire."

"You hate me!" Violet noted looking at him wide eyed in dismay.

"Today I despise you."

"Why?" Violet asked her voice shaking with tears.

"Because instead of being a party in my master's plans, I am here with you," he said without any hint of shame for his selfish feelings.

Yes they understood each other perfectly, they both needed to be in Carrion's notice to stay alive, and it was already apparent that they shared the same space although their roles were different. They marked each other rivals at that moment, although Violet felt that right now Letheo appeared to be winning.

"Can I help you sir? You appear to be in some great need," someone asked from behind Letheo.

An old man smiled down at Violet and Violet felt she had never felt safer than when this old man looked down with pity in his eyes. He reminded her of all the jolly old men that were always in children's storybooks. He was wearing a faded set of blue overalls, marking him as one of the striking miner's union, with the Carrion crest on the left-hand front.

"I must get this girl to Chimer Road. She has been in the dungeons and is very ill," Letheo said without ceremony.

"Come child, I'll carry you," he said lifting Violet as if she weighed nothing at all, and she wondered how much weight she must have lost through starvation.

Violet's father looked at the people at his door with disbelief. There was no doubt in his mind that his daughter's condition had been caused because of her connection to Carrion.

"Stand aside sir," Letheo ordered holding the door open for the older man, and pushing Violet's shocked father aside.

"What's happened?" Violet's father asked as he quickly lead the way to a spare bedroom.

"She has been a captive in the dungeons for at least a week, I think you know why…" Letheo said cryptically.

The old man raised an eyebrow but said nothing, just put Violet down on the soft bed.

* * *

Letheo and the man waited outside whilst the doctor saw Violet, which had been a battle to get him to the house since Mater Motley had decided that Midnight doctors were incompetent and everyone should now take the pancreas. Violet's father stepped out with a pale face.

"She's barely alive, but she'll live," he informed them. "But how can I ever repay you?"

Letheo stepped forward before the other man could say anything heroic like, 'it was nothing really.'

"You can give her this letter when she is well enough to read it," he said handing a crumpled letter over. "I am only here on orders, no I have to leave."

"Won't you stay for a drink?"

Letheo looked torn, as if he would like to stay for a drink, but he couldn't, he had to return.

"The master wouldn't like that," he said sadly. Violet's father didn't press the matter.

"Well, in that case I have a few things I need to put in a letter, will you wait just a few moments longer?"

Letheo thought for a second.

"Very well," he said finally.

Violet's father retreated to write a quick letter, and the two men waited in the hallway in silence. The older man felt like a spare part, there was something going on here that he wasn't supposed to know, and he had mixed himself up in the thick of it.

Letheo took one look at the initials on the front of the letter and pocketed it fast. He made a quick bow and then left.

"I cannot thank you enough for helping my daughter… um…"

"Don't worry I won't ask any questions. Goodness knows how many more innocent souls are trapped in that place, especially since the Lord; rest his soul, left us. I used to think it was bad then, now it's just ridiculous!" he said adjusting his glasses. "I'm Wilbur Morrison."

Violet's father was surprised by the free way in which the man spoke, and how in one sentence he'd clearly stated where his loyalties lie.

"You are part of the union?" Mousquetaire asked.

Wilbur looked down at his clothes with a critical eye.

"I'm not so sure it's such a good idea to wear these uniforms in public anymore, I used to be so proud as well, but I have very little to replace them with if I wished to. Especially now the strike is happening."

"Come into my study," Mousquetaire offered leading the way, this was a conversation for private not the hallway. "And how is the strike, the quarry behind the house has been quiet for a long time now."

Wilbur sat down in a chair and sighed loudly.

"Ah, you know strikes, messy things. I'm afraid we don't get very far. Motley wants to work us to our deaths, but we are determined. We can't afford to back down; all have families to think of after all."

"And who is leading this strike?" Mousquetaire asked.

"Why, I am!" Wilbur replied proudly. "Although I must admit, when I became the union leader I never though something like this would ever happen."

Mr Mousquetaire said nothing, but poured two glasses full with Midnight whiskey, famous throughout the Abarat for being both unbearable in taste and strength. However the same with most things, the more often it was consumed it ceased to taste so vile. Most men in Midnight could drink the stuff without cringing, as simple as drinking water, they claimed it was in their blood, and it most likely was. If not before the bottle, then most certainly after.

Wilbur drank as if savouring the taste, as if it summed up everything about Midnight for him.

"Thank you for the drink, will you allow me to acquire after your daughter in a few days? I best be heading back or the wife will be getting suspicious, she'll think I'm in the bookies again," he said standing and putting the glass down.

"Of course, you will be most welcome."

Wilbur touched his hand to his head as if he was tipping a hat and let himself out.

Violet recovered fast, her mind came back to her even if her body was still sluggish and ill looking. Mentally she felt fine, and was grateful that she hadn't gone mad in her time alone. She felt as if someone had been in the cell with her at some point, but she couldn't remember him or her fully, just someone. She didn't know if this had been real or imaginary, but whatever it was it had stopped her going crazy.

A few days after her rescue Violet's father gave her a letter, judging her well enough to read it, and Violet had set it down to read later. When she finally picked it up later that day her father came in looking less happy holding another letter. He looked reluctant to give her this one.

Violet noted that the handwriting on the front of the letter, it reminded her of the notes she used to receive.

_Turn up the sleeves by two inches, and move the button on the cuff to the left._

Violet felt cold, why hadn't she noticed it before? She had put aside a letter from Lord Carrion; there were no excuses for doing something like that. Violet opened the oldest looking one first.

_Violet,_

_Now more than ever I expect the most unwavering loyalty from you, because it doesn't take a genius to see that you would be dead by now had I not intervened. Clearly you cannot do the task I asked of you, but that does not mean that I release you. In three weeks I want you to return and I will instruct you further. In the meantime stay in your house and don't get into any more trouble._

_-CC_

Well Violet thought, it could have been worse. At least he wasn't threatening her too openly. It even half sounded as if he had expected something like this to happen. Maybe it did happen all the time? Maybe some people just weren't made for spying, maybe he realised that you couldn't punish people for just being rubbish?

Violet's sense of escaping without punishment was somewhat dented by the reading of the next letter.

_Mousquetaire,_ (so much for Violet then, clearly he was in less tolerant mood this time, Violet thought.)

_I am not in the habit of defending myself against people who are not my equals, and do not appreciate the letter your father has sent me. I assure you that no harm will come to him, but you would do well to understand and remember that what happens to you and your family is no concern of mine, and it would have been no trouble at all to have left you to rot in the dungeons. And how did you like the dungeons Violet? I assume you wouldn't like to return?_

_I know that you are more aware of how Midnight operates than your father, for all your small years. People are going to be destroyed through this, yet your father seems to think that you are more important than most and presumptuously thinks he can berate me for your unfortunate situation._

_However if you feel you somehow need to redeem yourself I give you leave to try._

_-CC_


	10. An accomplice is found

**Chapter Ten**

**An accomplice is found**

It is the strangest thing, but sometimes the most interesting and helpful of people are met when you are not looking for them. Wilbur Morrison was one of these people, small and insignificant looking, but extremely handy to know. Especially if you happened to be looking for the one thing he had control over.

Violet blew over the top of the hot drink in her hands, and felt the steam rise up into her face with a satisfied knowledge that she was warm, safe, and with a friend. It seemed a long time now since she had been able to relax in someone else's presence, and was making the most of it.

Wilbur lighted a brown cigar; it looked of low quality, bought on a small budget. It was Wilbur who had bought Violet the drink in the small Midnight café, and it was Wilbur who began the conversation.

"Now young lady, I think it's time for some explanations, I can't help but think that you have gotten yourself into a lot of trouble, and by me helping you I have condemned myself," he said watching her face, eyes widening in slight fear of what she might give away.

"I _am_ in trouble, but I assure you Sir it would be better for you not to know why," Violet replied.

Wilbur looked at her sadly, as if he truly believed she shouldn't be feeling that way.

"A problem shared…"

"Yes I know, is a problem halved," Violet finished. "Trust me, I really don't think talking about this is going to help me, more likely than not I'll end up back in the dungeons."

Wilbur looked at her even more pityingly.

"Maybe I can help?" he suggested kindly. Violet raised an eyebrow; she couldn't help but retort to that, it was just such a stupid thing to suggest. Help her? Only he didn't know what he was trying to help with.

"Not unless you have an army in your back pocket, then no, sorry you can't," Violet snapped with a smart-alecky smile, sipping her drink, and calmed instantly by the warmth. "Sorry, it's just I don't want to involve anyone else in this."

"And exactly why would a young lady have need of an army?"

"Oh _I _don't, it's for… someone else…" Violet said catching herself before she said anything stupid.

"And this someone else… is the reason you were in the dungeons?" Wilbur asked. Violet looked sheepish. "Right, well you're obviously not going to tell me who it is, but answer me this: I am the leader of the Miner's Union, I am leading a strike against the Queen, am I leading all these people to their deaths?"

Violet was silent, he might be, how was she supposed to know? She didn't even know what Carrion had planned, how was she supposed to guess his moves? Would Motley strike out at the miners before the rebellion began? She assumed there would, at sometime, be a rebellion, that seemed to be what Carrion was planning, but how did she know?

Carrion wasn't sitting around doing nothing; something was going to happen, but what to in the meantime? Stand up, or keep your head down?

"Listen, Mr Morrison, I can't tell you anything because quite honestly he doesn't tell me what is happening either, but something is coming, a rebellion probably… people _are_ going to die, I don't think it really matters what happens in the meantime," Violet said her voice low and sincere. "Everyone will have to choose sides or move out of the way."

She suddenly realised how large a scale Carrion was thinking on, for herself it had always just be about how this was going to affect _her_, suddenly she felt very selfish.

"You are talking of the day and night?"

"No," Violet said looking around at the other people in the café. "I'm speaking of those in Gorgossium."

"Oh young lady, you are touching a dangerous subject. Your incarceration wasn't a mistake was it?" Wilbur said shaking his head.

Violet scowled at him, he'd have to be braver than this if she was to tell him more. She knew she could trust him, he was publicly against Motley with his strike, but that didn't mean he was with Carrion.

"Can I trust you? Or are you going to betray me?" Violet asked bluntly. If she was going to tell him, and she had already made up her mind that she would, then it was time to stop the chitchat.

"I shan't repeat anything you tell me, you have my word."

Violet looked around the room one last time before leaning towards him over the table. This was it, she was going to share her secret to a near stranger, for how well did she know him? He had helped save her life, but that was all. He had asked after her well-being, he never asked for this. Violet felt almost guilty for burdening him with her secret, but she had made up her mind. He was the one to help her.

"The Abarat is changing, Motley wages war upon it, goodness knows what will happen to us all. But there is someone, someone we all thought had _left us_…"Violet paused, would he understand? Or did she need to say more?

There was a look of absolute disbelief on Wilbur's face; mixed in with fear and disgust. All together it told Violet that he had worked out whom she was referring to. All of a sudden Violet's words came out in a torrent of muddled thoughts, as if she had been keeping them inside so long that she needed to get them out quickly.

"I know it sounds insane, but that is the reality. He will fight her, no one else can, and the people will have to choose sides."

Wilbur shook his head.

"But I thought…"

Violet continued with her speech, she wanted to give it, she wanted to say it all, and she wouldn't stop for questions.

"Who said that? She did. What proof do we have that he's dead? I'll tell you, nothing. Just the word of some evil old woman whose disgusting army has been waiting too long," Violet said almost spitting in repulsion as she spoke.

Wilbur frowned, this had come as a great shock to him, but what the girl was saying made sense. They didn't have any proof after all. They just hadn't questioned it, after all, why would his own grandmother lie about something like that?

"But how can she operate without Carrion? She needs him surely? He controls so much!"

Violet shrugged.

"The Prince was never going to declare war, that's what she wanted after all. Maybe she just got tired of waiting and decided to get rid of him, I don't know," Violet said drinking a large mouthful of her drink and finding it still too hot.

"Whoa wait there, it's one thing to say she lied about his death, it's quite another to say she was the one who tried to kill him!" Wilbur said his voice low, what Violet was saying could get them both killed if it was overheard. He voiced this much.

"Killed? I've already been in the dungeons, if I'm spotted I'm dead no matter what I say," Violet said with ironic laughter. "I only got out because he sent someone for me."

"Then you are important to him?"

Violet snorted.

"I have a letter from him at home, assuring me that I'm not worth his spit, and he's very adamant about that," Violet said as if on some level she found that amusing.

Wilbur scowled as if there was something he didn't understand.

"But he rescued you, or have I misunderstood something? Surely you must mean something to him. Whatever the case he risked exposure by sending someone to fetch you, imagine if that boy had been intercepted and tortured, nobody survives torture, they all give away secrets in the end…" Wilbur said with the knowledge about Midnight's jails of someone who had lived nearby them all his life. "He took a great risk."

Violet had never thought about this and sat silently for a few minutes. No one in the café was paying them any attention, the waitress was ignoring them, not bothering to ask them if they wanted anything else, and no one else was looking over.

"I really don't think it was anything other than honour Sir, I saved his life, sort of, and he saved mine. Now I'm in his debt rather than the other way round, those would be the reasons," Violet replied sadly as if her eyes that wasn't a very romantic or heroic reason for rescuing someone.

Wilbur was thinking, this really wasn't the conversation for a café, but if they went anywhere else there would be someone trying to listen to them. His wife would insist on fussing over his guest with cakes, which they couldn't afford, and Violet's father was constantly with them when he had gone to visit before. It was only because he had gone to collect Violet's mother from a friend's house, where she had been enjoying a Carrion free life that he'd been allowed to speak to the girl alone. In Mr Mousquetaire's mind, everyone was now a threat to Violet, and after all his daughter had been through, Wilbur wasn't surprised anymore.

"But you know where he is? That is very dangerous information. What will you do now?"

"I don't know, I don't know what I'll do… he wants me to return, but I'm afraid. I failed him by being caught, I'm afraid of what he'll do to me."

Wilbur could see that Violet wasn't joking, she truly was afraid of what might happen to her now. But for the all horrible things he'd heard from the Towers, he didn't think Carrion had it in him to hurt someone as helpless as Violet.

"Then why return? You could escape him, it's not impossible, there are still those on the run from the Lord, look at those little thieves the John Brothers, they still haven't been caught," Wilbur said trying to be helpful, but knowing that what he was suggesting was completely useless.

"If I run away he really _will_ kill me. No I gave him my word, I'm apart of this, and I'm sorry, but I've made you a part of it too."

There was a long pause, where finally they were able to order more coffee and let their minds understand what had just been said, and what should still be said. However when they were left alone once again, they couldn't think of anything to say.

Finally Wilbur blurted out the next comment to their strange conversation.

"But why him? Why not follow someone else? What is he now? A king away from his castle is very vulnerable," Wilbur said rationally. Violet's skin prickled with anger. Carrion might not be in Midnight where he should be, but he was still their Lord, no matter what.

"Only when his subjects loose faith," she replied through gritted teeth. Wilbur realised he's said the wrong thing.

"I didn't mean it that way Miss," he said quickly in case Violet should begin shouting, or if their uncomfortable states should cause someone to look over.

Violet sighed, maybe he had a point, but what were the alternatives?

"Who else is there? There can never be a government in this hour, we need a leader. If the day declares war on us, then we are all finished. They will not care if we live or die, at least with Carrion we have a chance. We are powerful with him, with Motley we will only be seen as a threat. At least it's clear to whom the stitchlings belong to now anyway," Violet said, shuddering over the thought of all those unnatural things being set loose.

"But how can Motley be disposed of?"

Violet shook her head.

"That is something the Prince will have to decide," she told him. "I merely aid him."

"So you are a spy?" Wilbur asked.

Violet nodded.

"Yes, although I don't think I've done every well so far have I?" she said looking down at the table in disgrace.

"I don't know about that, you found me didn't you? I'm leading a whole bunch of people who are so at their wits end with Motley that they may just rally with someone who would overthrow her. You tell him, that should he convince us that life with a king would be better than with a queen, then an army will be his."

Violet looked up instantly.

"But you know it will!" she insisted. "Things will only get worse with Motley."

"Well, Carrion can't make it any worse…"

"And you will lead them?" Violet asked.

"I will not leave them, old as I am…"

Violet felt happy, she'd finally done something useful. Carrion wouldn't, couldn't scold her now. He'd _have_ to say _something_ in praise.


	11. Carrion’s new slave

**Chapter 11**

**Carrion's new slave**

**Author's Note: **This chapter was lurking on my computer, so it's about time it got posted!

Carrion had ordered her to return, so she had returned. But sitting in the upstairs bathroom with a throbbing headache was giving her second thoughts about following his orders so soon.

Violet sat on the cold fake marble floor tiles, crammed in between the toilet and the bathtub, her head held heavily in her hands. It felt like a dead weight, but she couldn't let herself become consumed by it, she still had to make her report.

Standing on shaky feet, Violet looked in the bathroom mirror. She was a total mess. Her hair was matted, her eyes puffy and ringed with black circles, and her lip was still angry and torn from Mater Motley's needles. Her face seemed to be the only part of her body that refused to heal quickly, the rest of her was easily hidden under layers of clothing.

There was a knock at the bathroom door and Violet jumped. There had been an unexpected tenant living in the house when Violet had turned up on the doorstep, and this person was now inquiring after her welfare.

"Are you OK in there Vi?"

Violet fumbled for the edge of the sink to hold herself steady and reached for the door handle. She pulled the door open with some difficulty. Elspeth's worried face peered in at her from the landing.

"I have a headache. Can you fetch me my bag? I have some medicine in there," Violet asked putting the lid down on the toilet and sitting on it.

"Carrion will be out any second now, you sure you want to see him so soon? You could go to bed you know. Really, you don't look well, and he won't be pleased that you look… contagious…"

Violet looked up angrily, her headache was making her irritable.

"El, just get my bag!" she shouted at the girl, and then felt guilty. "Please."

Elspeth looked frightened at her outburst and hurried down the stairs to fetch the requested bag. Violet snatched it out of her hands as soon as she was given it and rummaged around for the medicine. After taking a sip she began looking for what she came into the bathroom check if she needed to do, her make-up.

This was to be her disguise against Carrion. Her mask so that he wouldn't see what was underneath it, the cuts and bruises from the suffering she had had to endure. She didn't want him to mention them, and she didn't want to have to thank him for saving her also, she was too embarrassed for that.

Pasting the make-up over her bruises she managed to dull them until they looked less angry and finally disappeared. Satisfied, Violet finished just in time to hear the door opposite the bathroom slam, and footsteps go down the stairs. Carrion was finally out of his room.

Elspeth had told her when she had arrived that Carrion was not to be disturbed. He shut himself away for hours alone in his room, only emerging for meals. He was working on something in there she was sure, at first she had thought he was sulking, but she knew no one who could keep going for almost a week. Why Elspeth thought Carrion was sulking was beyond Violet, and she wasn't going to ask.

Opening the bathroom door slowly, Violet stepped out onto the landing. She looked over the banister rail on top of the stairwell and saw Elspeth offering Carrion a drink from a tray. Taking a deep breath, Violet straightened her plain black skirt and began her decent of the stairs.

Carrion's eyes followed her down them, watching her every move as she walked downwards. She felt strangely exposed.

"My Lord, I am happy to be back and to do your bidding," Violet said as soon as she reached the bottom step. She dropped a low curtsy and looked at Elspeth's puzzled face as she tried to understand how her friend had managed such a drastic makeover from the shaking wreck in the bathroom, to the graceful woman before them.

Violet smiled a courtier's smile, she had seen this sort of thing done often, but she had never before really had the time or the nerves to play at this in front of Carrion before. Her time away from him, and her brush with death had made her bolder and less afraid of herself. If she wanted to bow in front of him she would, she would no longer blush.

"I am glad to see you have made such a full recovery, and so soon. I was not expecting you for another week…" Carrion trailed into silence, Violet thought of his letter. He had ordered her back, had he forgot her? "Perhaps my dungeons are not quite the punishment I had imagined."

"Oh believe me My Lord, they are punishment enough for the very worst of crimes."

"Good, good," Carrion looked most pleased at this, as if she had just paid him the very best of compliments and took a seat on the armchair by the fire.

The two women shared a glance, and then joined him by seating themselves on the sofa. Carrion said and did nothing more, but just drank the drink Elspeth had given him in contented silence. Violet felt the duty of making conversation was upon her to take.

"So, where's Letheo?" she ventured.

"Gone, you will not see him for a long time now. When you do… no, we shall not speak of it yet. Lets just say that he is on a mission of great importance, which I confident he shall complete, and when he does we shall make our move," Carrion replied calmly, only looking at Violet for the quickest of seconds.

"And what about El? Where does she come into this?" Violet asked with a motherly tone.

"Elspeth? I'm sure there will be a need for her in good time, I can never have too many loyal servants," Carrion replied again equally as calm.

Violet sighed, she wasn't going to let it bother her, there was nothing she could do about it, and Elspeth was safe at least for now. Elspeth crossed her legs under her in very childlike manner.

"My teacher, Miss Deft said I'd never amount to much, now look at me, Prince Carrion's war time PA, pretty special no? If only she could see me now, I'd give her 'stand in the corner and don't turn around'," Elspeth said into the silent room with such animation that even Carrion smiled, or almost.

"Personal Assistant?" Violet echoed. "That's a lot of responsibility…"

"I know!" Elspeth said impressed with herself. Then she jumped up and ran into the kitchen. "More drinks!" she shouted back at them.

Violet gave Carrion a questioning glance.

"She wanted a job title…" he said in almost defence. Violet couldn't help but smile. "What do you call someone who runs around after you all day long?"

Violet shrugged.

"I don't know, 'slave' maybe?" she suggested. Carrion smiled.

"Yes, that's close enough."

"Drinks!" Elspeth said as she emerged from the kitchen with a bottle of whiskey and three glasses. "You know Vi, the Princes' jaw is much better now, we had raw carrots yesterday…" she said pouring.

Violet's eyes widened in horror as the words fell out of Elspeth's mouth, her free way of speaking shocked Violet so much, that she thought Carrion might take to violence. Instead he did nothing. Violet waited in fear.

"Elspeth likes to speak out of turn, she would not do well in public, that is why she will be demoted as soon as we have company," Carrion said making Elspeth's smile disappear.

"You mean, Violet gets to be a spy and a PA? That's unfair," she said sadly. Violet thought it was unfair too, but not for the same reasons. She didn't want to have to run around after Carrion, _and_ be a spy.

"My decision is final," Carrion said taking a drink and draining it. "Violet stays with me, you will remain only until I can suffer your unending happiness no more. Then you may go home."

Elspeth folded her arms.

"Remind me again why I am here?" she demanded stomping her foot. Violet knew any minute now Carrion would snap and Elspeth would leave, leaving her alone to deal with his anger.

"You are here because I caught you spying on this house, and I cant have you running about loose until I am back in control. If you want to live to see that day I suggest you keep your mouth shut, or learn some manners."

Elspeth shrugged as if she didn't care, and Violet truly believed she really didn't.


	12. Cookery books, babes and monsters

**When war consumes us**

_**Cookery books, babes and monsters **_

Letheo had been gone a week, according to Carrion; and apart from Elspeth's visits everyday to dust, make beds and mop floors, the rest of the time it was just Violet and dear Lord Midnight.

There are only so many takeaway meals a woman can eat a week before she begins to be concerned for her waistline, and so with only three members occupying Midsummer Mansion, there was a limited number of potential cooks. The obvious person to step inside the kitchen was Violet, and since she couldn't face eating another pizza, covered in whatever the weird toppings were that Carrion liked to order, she began cooking without a fuss.

She had made omelettes, knowing vaguely the recipe and trying to use up as much of the fresh produce in the fridge before it began to go off. Which wasn't much, a chunk of cheese and an onion, but better than nothing.

She had burnt the edges, but it was passable. Violet had been proud of her efforts until Elspeth declared she was allergic to eggs, and Carrion declared himself not hungry. Disappointed, Violet had eaten her creation alone, whilst Elspeth ate the last of the cereal and Carrion sulked.

The next day, even more determined, Violet had gone to the nearest bookshop, and bought as many cookbooks as she could lay her hands on, choosing ones that didn't feature recipes from Midnight, that way if she was to mess them up (and she was sure she would) and they tasted completely different to what they were supposed to, Carrion wouldn't know.

In the days following Violet had tried her hand at almost everything in the book, some not to much success, others turning out well. Slowly Carrion had begun to realise Violet hadn't dropped down dead yet, and so what she was cooking was probably safe to eat, and since there was no way he was going in the kitchen himself, the only other option was to starve.

Their time passed in relative silence, with only the odd disagreement, but since the motto of their companionship was to 'keep out of Carrion's way,' they rarely crossed paths. Violet had persuaded the landlord to loan them a TV, and since they were the longest staying residents he had ever had, he'd obliged, eager to keep them longer.

Carrion had come down to breakfast one morning to find the TV in the lounge, he never asked where it had come from; he'd just turned it on and not moved since. With Carrion occupied for most of the day, since they didn't have TV's in the Midnight Tower because there was no need of them, all news came to the Lord direct and the rest learned through the papers, Violet was able to get on with learning to cook.

However, to everyone's surprise, Commexo City wasn't the only place broadcasting, fledgling channels, with not much to offer other than a few rubbish dramas and reruns of old Commexo shows, had begun to challenge what was being shown to the masses.

Violet knew Carrion was watching for news, even suffering the Commexo Kid at every commercial break.

"HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY!" Elspeth sang every time she heard it playing, to which she would be hollered at and set a grim cleaning task.

Staying in the house watching the Commexo Kid bored the Prince of Midnight, and the boredom made him irritable. Usually it was Elspeth who felt the brunt of his frustration, for having a very quick tongue and very little tact.  
When trying to sweep the floor around him, Carrion would yell at Elspeth to get out of the way of the screen, to which she would find amusing and stand right in front of it deliberately. Violet would find objects around the TV later when they had both gone, which she supposed had been thrown at Elspeth in an attempt to get her to move out of the way.

But when Elspeth was in the house Carrion was easy to handle, it was only when it got late and El went home, that Violet had to deal with him on her own. He would remain sitting in front of the TV drinking glass after glass of whisky, until it make Violet sick to watch. She wished she had the nerve to pour the stuff down the sink, make him snap out of the limbo of boredom he'd trapped himself in, but she didn't dare. She was still tender from her incarceration, and she didn't want any more bruises.

So, Carrion drank whisky, locked inside his own personal hell, watching scantly clad woman escape from monsters in the evening episodes of 'Babe's and Monsters: On the beach!' and other such trashy dramas, and Violet tried to hide away with her books, trying to learn cookery.

Finally on the seventh night, Violet couldn't stand it any longer. She didn't know how long they would have to remain this way, and had she known it would only been a few more days she would have probably ignored her urge to escape, but it was feeling like an eternity with no promise of ever being free again.

"I'm going out," Violet declared standing in front of the TV like Elspeth did.

Carrion looked at her for the first time in days. He looked like he didn't know who she was. His mind was still on the Commexo Kid, the thirteenth cartoon of the night and it took a long time for him to realise what Violet had said.

"What?" he snapped.

"Out," Violet repeated. "You know, like outside…where their fresh air and people…"

"Did I give you permission for that?"

"Well… no, but I'm going anyway, and you never said I couldn't… besides I made you something to eat, all you need to do is warm it up…" Violet's nerve was failing her. Her argument was getting feeble now, and the more she said the more he seemed to frown.

"And if I refuse to let you go?"

Carrion had a strange look on his face that Violet couldn't work out. Had it been anyone else, and she was having this conversation with them, she would have thought them joking, so maybe he was joking in his own strange sort of way.

Violet shrugged.

"I'll hit you with my cookery book and run away," she answered grinning.

Carrion let her smile, and then stood up. As soon as he moved, Violet screamed and ran for the door. Banter was all very well, but she couldn't believe he would let her get away with it, she was still afraid of him.

Carrion snatched her hand off of the doorknob and held it tight, the more Violet struggled the more he dug his nails into the soft back of her hand, finding her bones and pressing on them hard.

"Ow, you're hurting me! Stop it! I'm not staying here, no matter what you try to do to me!"

"Is that right?"

Violet tried to kick him in the shin, trying to scrape her boot down that venerable bone at the front of his leg, but he moved out the way, and her foot hit nothing but the air. After that didn't work, Violet turned her head and bit him on his knuckles. She bit him so hard that it hurt her teeth, but it worked, and Carrion snatched his hand away from her. Violet opened the door and stumbled out into the rain. Realising her mistake, she turned around only to have an umbrella thrown at her, and the door slammed in her face.

Now on the other side of the door, standing in the cold and the wet, Violet wondered whether annoying Lord Carrion for a few hours of freedom was really worth it. But it was too late now, and she turned around and walked down the road, feeling his eyes in her back as he watched her from the window.

**Author's Note**: My brain is working so very very slowly at the moment…finally made myself sit down and write. Write dammit, write!

**DnDgamergirl**: You're right, he hasn't noticed, mainly because he just never actually looks at her, she's just there to him. He's so mean…


	13. Freedom Comes at a Price

**Author's Note: **This is one of my more random chapters. This will be one of the last chapters in the 'Midsummer Mansion' setting, as the story is about to move on next time. Well, here's Violet really //enjoying// her small scrap of freedom.

**Freedom Comes at a Price**

Carrion took a book from the stack Violet had been reading, and began to read about the best way to fry mushrooms. He was tried. He'd read books on cooking, make-up, and how certain foods were bad for the complexion, and _still_ Violet wasn't home. With every passing moment his mood became darker.

Violet sat on a bar stool, her vision becoming fuzzy, and some bloke's arm around her shoulder. Elspeth was sitting on the other side of her, trying her best to get served; so far she hadn't had any luck, and had been stealing Violet's drinks.

"Vi, are you going back soon?" she asked sipping Violet's drink whenever the barman turned around.

"No," Violet said scoffing. "I'm not hurrying back to him, he'll only lock me in a cupboard, or something equally as evil to teach me a lesson."

Elspeth shook her head, a little too eagerly as a result of alcohol.

"You should, you know."

"Hey, you do much worse things than ignore him, why should it be any different for me? Why do I have to do what he tells me all the time? He never really hurts you for it!" Violet said stabbing her index finger into the bar with every point she made.

Elspeth rolled up the sleeve of her top.

"Oh yeah?" she challenged, proudly showing Violet her newest bruises. "Fancy one too?"

"I've got enough thank you, and he wouldn't dare!" Violet replied, slightly slurred.

Elspeth thought about this carefully.

"Yeah, maybe not. I doubt he'll be too happy you went out though, I think, he thinks, he owns you. He gives me real evils if I even touch you."

"You're imagining things," Violet said, but somewhat concerned. "Anyway, I said I didn't know what time I'd be back. He looked really mad; he looks really mad all the time. In fact, I don't think I've ever seen him look anything other than mad."

Elspeth burst into laughter and Violet laughed so hard she almost fell off the stool.

"Ha!" Elspeth exclaimed. "I bet he's fuming! No, you'd best stay out with me. I'm determined you should only go back steaming drunk, then whatever he tries won't seem so bad, or at least you won't remember!"

"Oh, great logic."

"Hey bartender, ten shooters over here!" Elspeth called.

The barman sighed, the girl was so under-aged that it was ridiculous; but since she appeared to be getting drunk by magic, he gave in and served her, hoping she'd get bored soon and go home.

"Right," Elspeth continued. She gave Violet five and kept five for herself, they lined them up in a row. "Last to finish has to sweep around the TV tomorrow and take the abuse, and no hands!"

"What do you mean no hands? How am I meant to sweep with no hands?" Violet asked. "Actually, I can't think of any way of sweeping without hands that wouldn't look rude."

"No, the drink. But you've got a point there. You have to pick it up with your mouth and knock it back, and I mean the drink. I have to warn you I'm pretty good, so say hello to the broom when you go home, because you're about to loose."

"Well, we'll see about that. Ready? Go!"

Elspeth drank three shooters and began coughing.

"Woah, what the heck is this stuff?" she asked looking at the liquid. "It's burning my insides! I think I'm about to die!"

"Stop making excuses, you lost. Now I'm going home, because if I stay, I'm going to fall over, and this guy is going to think it's his lucky night, and I'm pretty sure in my sober state he'd be a no go," Violet rambled, climbing off the stool ungracefully and knocking the guy's arm away.

"Hey honey, where are you going?" the man complained. "Let me buy you another."

"No, I'm going home to that man," Violet replied, followed by a loud hiccup. "My boss-man, employer guy… I feel unwell. You know, that guy, the important one… doesn't he wear a hat? No, that's someone else."

"Yeah, he does wear a hat Vi, a red velvet one," Elspeth said. Five shooters and Violet had gone from moderately drunk, to rambling, crazy person who couldn't stand up.

"No he doesn't! Does he?"

"Sure, he was wearing it yesterday."

Violet frowned. She couldn't remember, did he wear a hat? Someone wore a hat, was it him?

"Well, I'm going. Goodbye."

"Do you want me to go with you?" Elspeth offered as she watched Violet stagger to the doorway. She didn't get a reply, so she followed; thinking it probably wasn't a good idea to let her friend stumble out into the road alone.

"Have you got a key Vi? Because I left mine…" El asked. Violet waved her into silence.

"Pssh, I'll get him to let me in," she said opening the letterbox and looking inside. "Oi, you!" she shouted as she spotted Carrion sitting on the sofa.

Carrion jumped, clearly not expecting to be harassed in his own living room, and looked at the door angrily. El hung back from Violet as if she anticipated something bad about to happen.

"Can you let me in? I'm wet and I'm cold!" she asked peering at him through the gold-rimmed box. "Please?"

Carrion got up slowly, deliberately making her wait. El saw Carrion's shadow pass across the drawn curtains, and felt a cold chill go up her spine. She wanted to grab Violet's hand and run away fast, she couldn't bear to think what might happen now. She hadn't lied after all when she said she was covered in bruises, and she felt them all tingle again in wait for the next one.

Carrion crouched down in front of the door, his eyes level with Violet. Violet blinked at him, her vision not letting her see the look of weariness in his eyes. Everything was blurred, and when he moved she felt dizzy.

"No," he said calmly, as if it wasn't blowing a gale outside, and the two girls were not soaked to the skin. "I think I'll make you stay there until you are sorry."

"I am sorry!" Violet screeched.

"You're not sorry, you're drunk."

El stepped forward and took hold of Violet's arm. More for her own security than her cousin's, she had a feeling she might survive this if she stayed with Violet.

"Well, that makes a change, it's usually you!"

At this Carrion stood up and moved out of sight.

"Hey!" Violet called. She stuck her hand through the letter box and felt around for something.

"Vi, we should go. You can stay with me, come on, you're making him angry. Even if you get inside, do you think he's going to be nice to you?" Elspeth asked in a hushed voice, trying to pry Violet away, but she wouldn't let go of the door.

"He's gone El, he's gone!" Violet shouted looking in again. "I can see his shoe!"

El pushed Violet out of the way.

"Vi, that's just a shadow. Come on, he's not going to let you in," El tried again.

"What if he's dead?" Violet asked, hanging onto the door for dear life.

"He's not dead, you were just speaking to him!"

"No, he's dead!" Violet screamed.

She started crying. At this Elspeth gave up, there was no way Violet was going to leave with her, she wasn't going to sit outside all night catching her death.

"Yes that's right, he's dead. You went out, and now he's dead. Come on Vi! I'm going back to the inn, you can either come with me or stay here, your choice."

Violet was still crying, half because she was locked out and cold, and half because she'd drunk too much and made herself feel ill. El looked at her one last time, and then began to walk away. Just before she was out of sight she heard the door open and light flood out onto the street.

Violet looked up at Carrion with both tears and rain running down her face. She gave him a genuine smile of greeting, as if he hadn't just made her wait in the rain. Carrion grabbed her by both arms and dragged her into the house, then slammed the door in case anyone should see them.

"What is wrong with your face?" he asked once Violet had sat herself upright.

Violet just stared at him. In the rain and her tears, all her make up had washed off, leaving behind all her cuts, bruises and scrapes.

"Well what did you expect?" she hissed at him. "That I'd be fine? If I hadn't have come back, you would have found someone else, and I need to be here!"

"Why do you need to be here?"

"Because unfortunately for me, I'm now a criminal in Midnight, so I can't go home, and you've all I got!"

Violet clutched her head, she was feeling increasingly sick now, but was doing her best to ignore it. She tired to stand with the aid of the sofa, and held on.

"In case you haven't noticed, there is no one else, why do you think I put up with you, and that annoying cousin of yours? I don't want you going out and getting hurt, because I need you to help me," he said helping Violet to stand. "You're going to help me, aren't you?"

Carrion began undoing the buttons on her coat. Violet watched him for a moment before she was able to say anything.

"Hey, what are you doing? Stop that!"

"You cannot sleep in this, take it off," he said not stopping like she asked him, but moving her about to pull her coat off.

Violet let him do whatever he liked, her body wasn't under her control anymore, and she couldn't have stopped him if she wanted to. Once her coat was off, her dress clung onto her like a second skin. She looked down, where she had been scrabbling about on the floor; it had risen up higher than it should. Conscious that she ought to pull it down, since she was exposing most of her thighs, Violet simply stared at her own legs and couldn't get the message down to her hands.

Carrion wasn't messing about, once the coat was gone, he began carrying her up the stairs. Violet's head lolled against his shoulder, the motion of moving making her close her eyes against the sickening feeling in her stomach. Finally, Carrion set her down in her room, and Violet wondered what was going to happen now.

"Take this off…" Carrion said pulling at the strap of her dress. "Put this on. I don't what to see you until tomorrow, understood?"

Violet took the dressing gown he was offering and waited for him to leave. She didn't remember changing, and didn't how she's even managed to get into bed, but she remembered the ill feeling washing over her before she managed to escape into a dreamless sleep.


	14. News

**A/N: **Hello once again! This chapter is over 2000 words (not including a/n), a peace offering for the wait. Probably one of the longest chapters I've written in a long time. Thank you to: enigmatic poet, DnDgamergirl and Inquisit, for reviewing, and two thank you's to axellover8 for reviewing twice!

**News**

Carrion was in even more of a foul mood the morning following, and not even Elspeth would go near him. She dusted, swept and polished in record quick time, and bolted for the door. Violet had gotten up to make to make Carrion's porridge and had gone back to bed again, waking up to the sound of the front door slamming and Elspeth's footsteps running down the road.

Clambering out of bed, she made a beeline for the bathroom, she couldn't remember how many times she had stumbled there last night, hoping to find the cure for her headache and upset stomach. On the landing, she heard someone talking downstairs, but rather than wonder who was there, Violet continued to the bathroom and began filling the bath.

Sitting the on the toilet lid and holding onto the sink, she pulled off her clothes lazily, throwing them on the floor in a pile. Violet then tested the water with her toe and then climbed in. She let the bath fill up around her, and lay back, soaking her hair, washing out all the dirt from the bar.

There were footsteps on the stairs, and then on the landing, and before Violet could even wonder if she had remembered to lock the door or not, it was flung open.

Violet's arms rushed up and covered her chest as she sat up in shock.

"What are you doing? Get out!"

"He sent me out for this package, then told me to come get you. You're lucky, he might have decided to come up here himself."

Violet lowered herself into the water again, rearranging the bubbles over herself, and keeping her arms firmly on her chest. She watched Elspeth with a wary eye.

"Well, at least he would have knocked before he barged in," Violet muttered. "How come you're so bright this morning, you drank just as much as me."

El shrugged.

"Experience?"

"I have experience," Violet replied defensively.

"Ew," Elspeth said covering her ears. "I don't want to know!"

Violet scowled and looked away. Elspeth could be so immature. She grabbed the soap and began rubbing it in her hair with one hand.

"You're using soap on your hair?" El asked taking a seat on the floor by the sink.

"I live with Lord Carrion, I hardly have a bathroom filled with bubble bath and body lotion."

"But you share soap?" El asked with her nose wrinkled in disgust.

"No, this one is mine. It's scented. And just stop it, I've got a bad head and I don't need jokes. Besides, I'll share whatever I like thank you."

Elspeth shrugged, and handed Violet a towel whilst wearing a smirk on her face. Violet grabbed the towel and wrapped it round her hair. She knew exactly what was on her cousin's mind, but couldn't be bothered to tell her that they also didn't share towels.

"He wants to see me now?" Violet asked.

Elspeth closed her eyes as Violet climbed out the bath.

"Yeah. Wow, they really beat you up in that place!" she commented on seeing Violet's back. Violet covered herself up instantly. "Does he know?"

"He's seen my face, he can probably guess," Violet replied.

She felt as if this was private matter that she didn't really want to discuss. She was also embarrassed about what she had been through, it hadn't been very dignified, and constantly having to remember it every time she looked in the mirror wasn't easy.

"OK, I'll be just one minute, you had best go back downstairs."

Elspeth pulled a face, clearly she had no desire to go anywhere near Carrion for a while, but Violet needed time to collect her thoughts. Something had to be happening today, something important, Carrion never sent Elspeth out for packages before, and he rarely interrupted her free time when she was in the house.

Dressing slowly, for any quick movements only seemed to intensify the aching in her head, Violet rubbed her hair until it stopped dripping down her back, and tied it up with a band. She certainly didn't feel glamorous as she walked down the stairs, and looked a far cry away from the figure she had cut last night.

No one paid her much attention to begin with, Carrion was sat staring at the fire, Elspeth was rattling something in the kitchen, and the only one looking at her was Letheo. He was dressed in very garish bright colours, which almost hurt her eyes to look at.

"You asked for me?" Violet asked.

"She looks dead, no one will be interested in that that," Letheo said pointing at Violet as if she wasn't really there.

Carrion raised his hand slightly off of the chair arm to signal that he had heard, but didn't want to hear anymore. He didn't look around at Violet, just told her to sit down.

Violet seated herself on the sofa, and found herself in his eye sight. He was looking at her as if he was contemplating Letheo's words. Violet thought this was bit rich coming from them two.

"Candy Quackenbush has told the representatives of the Day islands about my plans, just as I knew she would," Carrion said.

Violet didn't think much of his information imparting skills, he spoke to make the listener impatient, rather than to explain. So, rather than appear to be on the edge of her seat, Violet tried to look nonplussed. If he was telling her this, she had to be involved somehow, or he wouldn't be bothering.

"A week a go I sent Letheo to infiltrate her 'camp'. Candy is a naïve sort of girl, and she believed his lies," he paused for a second, watching Violet's face for reaction. "Something I hope that you would never do."

Violet raised an eyebrow.

"If Letheo every tried to 'infiltrate _my _camp' I'd have given him a slap," she said seriously.

She looked sideways at Letheo to see what he made of that, he didn't look impressed. She was gauging Carrion's temper, something she was learning to do now. How he reacted to her sarcasm was a good indication as to how the conversation would end.

He had a smirk on his face, as if he wouldn't quite mind seeing that. Letheo looked at him impatiently; Carrion was ruining his moment of glory by paying attention to Violet. He knew he had to get Carrion's attention back, but wasn't brazen enough to interrupt.

"The day islands are aware that I am missing, but not dead. This will not come as a shock to my grandmother, for I believe she already knows?"

Violet blushed with shame. It was her that had given to proof to Mater Motley and it was Letheo's turn to smirk now.

Violet was determined not to let Letheo see her put down, she'd wipe that smirk off of his face if she could, and there would be no love lost in doing it.

"I think I know what you are trying to explain to me," Violet said, she bit her lip nervously. "I've been trying to figure it out ever since you sent me to Midnight."

Carrion furrowed his brow slightly, this he hadn't been expecting. Usually he only allowed his generals to contribute to his plans, but since he had no one but this girl and Letheo to speak to and command, he was willing to listen at least.

"Continue," he prompted.

Violet took a deep breath. If she got this wrong she would look extremely foolish, and she was very aware of how quiet it had become now that El had stopped rustling packets in order to listen too.

"Right… you sent me to Midnight to see how everyone was responding to the news of your death. Once you knew it was a split nation, you knew you had to work fast in order to capitalise upon it," Violet paused to readjust her ideas. "So when I told you I had found a potential army in the strikers, you were able to send Letheo to the day islands, knowing that you had to prevent them from declaring war before you had gathered your army together. You are going to side with the day."

Letheo looked at his commander slightly bewildered. He had been in the middle of all of this too, but he had not be able to put the pieces together like the girl had. Clearly she had nothing better to do with her time, than to try and second guess other people.

"Well boy," Carrion said looking at Letheo. "Shall we make her one of our generals?"

Letheo didn't reply.

"Well?" Violet asked eager to hear some praise for once. "Am I good spy after all?"

"Spying on me was not what I asked you to do!" Carrion snapped destroying the pleasant mood.

Violet shrugged to herself. She had got something right for once, and it wasn't just a little thing either. She remained impressed with herself despite what Carrion might think of her.

"Yes, Candy Quackenbush is our link to information. After today Letheo will be our enemy. You will not speak to, or look at him, unless it be with contempt. Is that understood?"

"Perfectly," Violet replied. That wouldn't be too difficult, they pretty much behaved that way to each other anyway.

"Letheo is no longer on our side, and as long as you remember that, then you will not betray us. For appearance sake I now need you by me at all times, and we will be playing on the fact that you are an attractive young woman."

"Pardon?"

As nice as it was to be called an 'attractive young woman', Violet didn't feel as though she really wanted that title.

"Come now, a young girl and the Lord of Midnight, it doesn't take too much imagination to create rumours."

This was a shock. Violet's breath caught in her throat, and she felt as if she had just fallen from a far height. It was that same fear that came in an uncontrollable situation, when one was in danger. Her heart was beating fast, and she felt unwell again. She wasn't stupid, she knew what the rumours would be, but she had to be sure. Maybe this was all some sort of horrible joke?

"What are you saying?" she whispered, not even realising she was speaking.

"I am saying, I hope you don't blush too easily Violet, because I am about to make you my mistress."

Violet's mouth fell open, and it was clear she wasn't about to voice an opinion on that yet.

"In a business sense of course," Carrion continued.

Violet blinked slowly, keeping her eyes closed for a long second, to hear the words in her head again.

"Oh," was all she could bring herself to say.

Carrion was talking again, saying something about newspapers, and that all eyes would be on her, but she couldn't really listen. This was the reason he wasn't letting her go home, she had been too good at her job, and now he didn't want to trust anyone else.

Letheo's words came back to her, that 'no one would be interested in that', and now that she knew what it meant, she felt hurt. Carrion had called her attractive, but she knew she had a long way to go before anyone would believe she was his mistress. Not that there had ever been one in the public eye before, and she wasn't particularly interested enough to find out anything when she had worked in the thirteenth tower.

But as far as she was concerned, Mistresses were suppose to be glamorous, and beautiful; being 'attractive' just didn't cut it.

"Alright, but if I'm staying with you, I want my own room," Violet said. There was no point in refusing, he wasn't likely to let he go when she knew so much about his plans. She didn't dare to even contemplate what her family would think about this. But it was them who had put her in this situation, and she had to ride along in the plans that were ultimately leading to war.

"I accept," Carrion said holding out his hand for her to shake.

As she shook his hand, there was only one person who dared to say anything, and that was spectator Elspeth.

"Wow," she exclaimed. "This is going to be weird."


	15. Hold your nerve

Thank you to ChorusGirl24601, redheadrebel77 and Thunderstorm101, for reviewing my last chapter!!

**Chapter Fifteen**

**Hold your nerve**

Elspeth and her band had packed. It had been a rushed ensemble of their possessions onto the ship. Their travelling with Violet hadn't been something that Lord Carrion had planned for.

The crossing to Yebba Dim Day had at first been intended to be a low-key affair. Carrion hadn't wanted too much attention drawn to them so close to Midnight, but it seemed like no one was paying his wishes much attention anymore.

Violet had decided later, that she wouldn't go with him unless Elspeth came with her; and Elspeth was determined that she'd only travel with her band.

Now that Lord Carrion had been officially declared to be still living, they were no longer living on Violet's father's money. Life had become instantly easier, as Carrion took care of everything, taking the financial burden from Violet's shoulders. Promised that she had been paid, Violet felt a strong curiosity to write to her bank and enquire as to how much Carrion had thought she was worth. But that would have to wait, for now she had more important things to do.

Violet had followed Carrion onto the ship quietly, and disappeared below decks to hide herself in her cabin. Elspeth and her friends followed shortly, dragging their luggage with them.

"So, you're going then?" Elspeth asked as she joined Violet in the cabin. "You could always jump ship you know."

Violet was lying on the bed staring at the ceiling.

"And go back and marry someone my father has picked out for me? No, I think I'd rather ruin my reputation thank you."

Elspeth sat down.

"I hadn't thought of that. Will you really ruin your name?" she asked concerned.

Violet shrugged.

"Probably. But Lord Carrion says I will be too rich when all this is over, to care whether I am married or not."

Violet's voice was so unfeeling that Elspeth suspected that her cousin had already done all her crying over this. They were all wrapped up in something that they couldn't escape from. Even Elspeth considered herself trapped; but there was no way she was prepared to leave Violet to the people who were sharpening their claws, getting ready to rip her apart.

There was knock at the door that prevented anything more being said.

"Come in!" Elspeth yelled.

The door swung open and three young men traipsed in wearing matching uniforms. They were all wearing a look of embarrassment on their faces, and blushed when Violet looked at them.

"Milady," the tallest said with a flushed face.

Violet looked away, embarrassed herself. As far as El's band were concerned, she really _was_ Carrion's mistress. She wondered how she would cope with hundreds of people looking at her and wondering, when she shied away from three young lads.

"What are you wearing?" Elspeth asked in her usual untactful manner.

"Erm, I think we're supposed to be Violet's personal entourage or something. We all have to wear Midnight livery," the tallest said straightening his jacket. "Hey, don't laugh, this is the first paid job I've have since I got fired from that cake-stall."

"Violet, this is Bret," Elspeth said looking at the tallest. "And, Collin, and Mike."

Violet smiled at them all. Collin had short red hair and Mike a dark face as if his family came from a day island. Bret was the most striking of the three with very dark eyes and hair.

"We have met before," Violet said, "I am glad to have such handsome companions."

If it was possible for the three to blush anymore, they did, and refused to meet Violet's eye. Collin edged himself forward and presented Elspeth with a parcel, then followed the rest out of the room.

Violet wasn't as interested in what was in the package as El, if her suspicions were right, then it was costumes for them as well. Carrion seemed to have thought about everything.

She had been right, it was new clothes. Whilst Elspeth was happy to play dress-up and spin about in her new soft silk dress, Violet felt as if she was being suffocated. She wasn't even allowed to wear her own clothes? Was everything now to be decided for her?

"What's wrong?" Elspeth asked after noticing that Violet had made no attempt to change. "Don't you like it?"

"No, it's not that, it's just… this is really happening isn't it? He's dressing me up like a doll, and I'm just doing whatever he tells me to."

Violet didn't let Elspeth answer her, instead she took the dress into the bathroom. She took off the cotton dress she was wearing, and pulled the dark green material over her head to fall to her ankles.

Her dress was of a harder material than El's, which rustled when she moved. The wrap that was to go around her shoulders was of black satin. The dress was nothing ornate, or special, but simple with straps two fingers width across her shoulders. She tied the wrap into place, glad to be covered.

With her disguise in place, her hair brushed, make-up covering heavy bruises on her face, and high heels, Violet was ready to face her new role.

The light of the sun was something that Violet could never have imagined. It was so bright that it hurt, and it warmed her skin. She had never heard of the sun being warm before, and to feel it touching her skin in such a way, made her feel peaceful.

This however didn't last. They had arrived, and whilst she had been admiring the sun, she had become the focus of everyone's attention.

Violet felt her face flush with the embarrassment of having a thousand pairs of eyes on her. Lord Carrion had been expected, and there were many people to greet him; and hundreds of people there to stare and wonder at him.

For someone who was supposed to be dead, he was very much alive. There was a frightened silence when he had walked out onto the deck of the ship, but as soon as the crowd spotted Violet, excitement erupted amongst them, which couldn't be quieted.

The envoy who had been sent to escort them to the council, stared at Violet as she walked besides Lord Carrion, her eyes downcast and bashful. Elspeth who had lingered back, hurried forward and whispered into Violet's ear.

"Quick, take his arm or something," she instructed.

Violet's eye's widened in fear. She had tried to remain calm, but this was overwhelming. Everyone was fighting to get a look at her, to discover who she was and why she was there.

"You have to show them that you're Midnight's mistress," El explained. "That you belong to Lord Carrion."

"No, I can't," Violet said shaking her head.

"You agreed to this, you can't bow out now. You're here, it's time to act!"

Elspeth was right. It was just acting, and she had agreed to do this. Lifting her head, Violet smiled brightly at the envoy, and linked her arm around Carrion's.

Not finding his arm in time, Violet scrabbled down his sleeve and eventually found herself holding his hand. She felt her stomach jolt, but couldn't identify the cause, there was so much to cause her to panic. Flash bulbs in her face, she kept her smile for them all to see, and held on tight, as if her life depended upon staying close to him.

Violet was the first to climb into the carriage, and felt the pressure fall away. Her smile she let fade, and in it's place a weary look took over.

"Wow, that was brilliant Vi!" Elspeth screeched as she clambered in after Carrion and sat herself beside her cousin. "I thought their eyeballs were going to pop out their heads!"

The carriage moved forward with a lunging movement that tipped both Violet and Elspeth forwards. Gasping, Violet gripped hold of her seat before she was flung backwards again as they began moving up the hill.

"This Great Head, sure does look like a head, I always thought that it just kinda looked head shaped… but no, it really looks like a head… I can see it's eye! Look…"

Carrion, rather than look out of the window at what Elspeth was seeing, looked at the girl as if he wondered why he had brought her along. Violet could feel the tension building up, however unaware of it Elspeth might be. Desperately she thought of something to say.

"Do you have much work to do here?" Violet asked quietly.

Elspeth continued to speak to herself, pointing out whatever happened to be in her eye-line, and imagining that she had an audience.

"There will be many meetings," Carrion replied.

Violet nodded. She wondered why it was so hard to keep a conversation going with him. Whatever she said, she felt as if she received nothing back. But then, who was she to know what he was thinking, or what they were to do here? She simply worked for him, he wasn't required to make her feel at ease.

"Is there anything I could help you with?"

"We shall see."

Violet looked out of the window. She was glad to have Elspeth's chatter to fill the silences now. Sometimes Lord Carrion had a way of looking at her that she couldn't understand. She feared to displease him, and not knowing why he was looking at her, filled her with unease.


	16. The concerned Girl

Not a very long chapter this one, but I needed to move the characters out of the way. Thank you everyone for all the reviews!!

Chapter Sixteen

The concerned Girl

Lord Carrion couldn't have imagined just how well his plans would work. His idea of taking Violet along with him, had initially been only to distract people's attention for a while, but it seemed to be working a little too well.

He was used to having people stare at him, for varying reasons, but now they stared even harder. So far Violet had managed to keep her smile in place, but it would be only a matter of time before someone said something cruel to her. He wondered how long it would take before she asked him to release her.

She was stood by his side, looking around the room, trying not to catch too many eyes. She had found that he hadn't objected to her holding onto him, so had wrapped her arm around his once more.

They were waiting for the leaders of the Council of Day to arrive. But in the meantime they were being inspected by the other waiting occupants of the room.

"Do they know we're here?" Violet whispered.

"They regard themselves as the ones with the power today," Carrion replied just as quietly. "They will soon change their minds when they realise that a war is upon them."

Violet sighed. Their journey had been tiring, and she would have given anything to sit down somewhere, and be alone. Elspeth and her friends had already been escorted to their quarters, so Violet had no one else to speak to.

"Well, I think they are being very rude," she added to herself, not caring whether she was overheard or not.

They waited for a few more minutes, until finally the doors opened and they were asked into the next room. Immediately there was a fuss made of them both, as if these people had not just kept them waiting for ages in the first room.

Violet found that she was being introduced to so many people, that she began to feel dizzy. There was no possible way that she could have ever remembered everyone's name, but by the end of the introductions everyone knew hers.

After being introduced and being asked how her journey was, and other questions that no one cared the answer for, Violet was abandoned, and everyone began creeping to Lord Carrion. He appeared to know everyone, and they were falling over themselves to carry out his requests.

Violet supposed that what he had said outside of the room was true, they might have believed they had the power to make them wait, but it was clear who was calling the shots now. They kept saying such things as; "Well, it was planned to do that once so and so arrived, but we can do that now if you wish."

Now that the crowd was moving away, leaving Violet standing alone, she noticed that she was not the only ignored person in the room. To the back there was a group of people sitting on chairs, looking at her suspiciously.

She tried a nervous smile, but only received one back from the orange fellow in the bright suit. The man with the red hair kept looking her up and down and the girl with the concerned face kept looking from her to Lord Carrion, who was now walking further away with every turn of her head.

Violet wondered whether she should walk towards them, but before she could take a step, Elspeth burst into the room.

"I have been looking for you everywhere!" she said much too loudly, then followed Violet's gaze. "Who are they?"

"I don't know," Violet said turning away from them so that they could no longer see her face. "I didn't get introduced to them."

"Where's Lord Carrion?"

Violet shrugged.

"Well, I'm in a room a short walk from you. Come on, I'll show you where it is."

Violet was grateful to leave the questioning stares of everyone behind her, and escape into her own room. Except it shortly turned out not to be her own room after all.

Violet opened the door to find both hers and Carrion's luggage being delivered to the same room. She looked at El with concern.

"I can't stay in the same room as him, I just can't!" Violet said nervously as soon as they were alone.

Violet removed her silk wrap off of the four poster bed, and wrapped it back around her shoulders as if she was about to leave. Elspeth meanwhile was busy opening doors looking for somewhere to unpack all of their belongings.

"Hey, look, I found a room," Elspeth said disappearing into said room.

"A bathroom?" Violet asked walking towards it.

"No, another room. It must be a servants room. You can stay in here Vi."

Violet sat on the small bed. It wasn't as comfortable or as big as the bed in the main room, but Violet felt she was in no position to complain. As long as no one found out that she was staying in here, and not with Lord Carrion like she was meant to be doing, then she would be fine.

"Wow, comfy," Violet said sarcastically.

"Aw, come on Vi, he never sleeps anyway. It's not like he'll be here much," Elspeth said trying to be optimistic.

Violet looked doubtful, and was thankful that she had this room to hide in.

Violet's evening turned out to be as painful as her day. Dinner was spent sat a long way from Carrion, almost opposite the concerned looking girl from earlier, and with everyone trying to get a good look at her.

She had tried to smile at the concerned girl opposite, but she seemed to be avoiding Violet's gaze. Violet noticed midway through her meal that the girl's eyes didn't match each other, being different colours. This seemed vaguely familiar, but before she could wonder, she was engaged into a conversation, and her discovery was soon forgotten.

Elspeth was proved to be right, when Lord Carrion never retired to their room to sleep, and Violet was left alone once more. Tired, she retreated to her secret room, and slept uninterrupted until morning.


	17. Candy Quackenbush

Chapter Seventeen

Candy Quackenbush

Candy Quackenbush, a slim girl with brightly coloured clothes, and oddly cut hair, knocked upon a wooden door and waited impatiently. Her mismatched eyes looked over the wood grain, and inspected the hinges.

The door on which she had knocked, belonged to a room where a lot of furniture sounded as if it was being moved about. This had stopped at the knock, and now there was only the sound of footsteps heading towards the door.

The door opened to the sight of a man with dark skin, and red hair.

"Finnegan," Candy said not in greeting, but as if beginning a sentence as she pushed her way into the room. "She's his mistress!"

The man named Finnegan, looked confused. Candy gazed around the room.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"I moved the bed over by the window," Finnegan replied. "I prefer to sleep by an open window," he added as explanation.

Candy walked to the bed and sat on the end, she looked out of the window for a while.

"Yes, it looks better here," she decided, then frowned. "Anyway, I didn't come here to talk about that, I found out who the girl is."

"Ah, the girl, the mystery girl," Finnegan said mockingly.

Clearly this subject had been brought up so many times already, and discussed to such length that he was no longer much interested.

"Why do you care who she is?" he asked.

"I don't!" Candy protested. "It's just that…"

Her answer was cut short, as the adjoining room door was opened, and another walked into the room. This being, best described as a creature more than a human, had orange coloured skin and large fins either side of his head.

"I thought I heard you," he said to Candy. His voice was kindly, and he sat down beside her.

Candy smiled at him, but her concerned expression soon returned.

"At least he'll leave you alone now. That's what you wanted, wasn't it?" Finnegan asked, leaning against a chest of drawers.

"Yes! Of course I do… It's just, something doesn't feel right about it all. I mean, who is she?"

"Who?" the orange creature asked. "Who are we talking about?"

"The girl with Carrion," Finnegan replied dismissively, as if he had already had enough of this conversation.

"Well if you don't care," Candy said standing and pacing, "I care, and Malingo cares too, don't you?"

The orange creature who had been addressed as Malingo, had no chance to reply, as Candy continued to speak.

"What if she doesn't want to be here? What if she's a prisoner?" Candy asked as she paced back and forth. "She could be trapped here, waiting for someone to help her, and no one will!"

"Candy," Malingo said gently. "Maybe we should just be grateful that it isn't you. I don't think we should meddle."

"Malingo's right," Finnegan agreed.

Candy huffed and threw her arms in the air annoyed.

"You don't understand! When I saw him, I was frightened. I thought he might try and kill me, even though I was surrounded by all those people! But then I saw that girl, and I thought, what if she's feeling what I'm feeling? What if she's frightened too?"

Malingo and Finnegan looked at each other with shared concern. Candy might be right. Who in their right mind would willingly agree to be that close to Carrion? But they would be risking a lot if they interfered.

"Well, what can we do?" Malingo asked.

Candy thought for a while.

"I'll speak to her," she decided. "I'll find a way of getting her on her own."

Finnegan shook his head.

"Why would she tell us? Why would she trust us? And how can we protect her from Carrion even if she does? Candy, you need to be careful. Carrion might not be surrounded by his nightmares anymore, but it doesn't make him any less dangerous," Finnegan said trying to instil some caution into his friend. "And besides, she could be anyone, she herself could be dangerous."

"What do you mean?" Candy asked.

Malingo felt he should explain, sometimes Finnegan came across rather harshly, and Candy didn't always respond well. It would no good to put his friend in a rage, when she was determined to do something that could get them all in trouble.

"Well, mistresses are highly respected. Sometimes, even more so than wives. In the Abarat, men usually only have mistresses that will benefit them in some way," Malingo explained. "In Lord Carrion's case, she's probably a witch. Why else would he keep her, unless she has some kind of power? Something to help him regain control of Midnight."

"Malingo's right Candy," Finnegan confirmed. "Why bring an ordinary girl along? We have to be careful."

Candy sat silently. It was all very well being cautious, but she refused to turn a blind eye. This girl might be suffering, with no one to help her but Candy. Candy knew the value of friendship, had she not been aided herself, that might now be her shackled to Lord Carrion.

"But why a mistress?" Candy asked suddenly. "Why not introduce her as a powerful witch? If she is one?"

Finnegan shrugged. This mistress of Midnight held no mystery for him, Candy was his only concern.

"She very pretty," he said, "Look at the commotion she's caused, he would have known that would happen."

"Mater Motley has declared her an enemy of the City of Gorgossium," Malingo informed them. "It's the papers, but it says no more than that."

"Then she really is in danger," Candy said. "I have no choice."


	18. The Letter

Thank you to _Ramla Okami, Chorus girl 24601, Jasdin Rue, _for the reviews! It's a long one this time, almost 2000 words!!

Chapter Eighteen

Candy's Letter

Violet frowned as she took the letter from the maid. The woman had come to make the beds, and judging from the tangle of bed clothes on the master bed, Carrion had slept last night, although Violet had never seen him.

The maid had only handed the letter over once exploring the room and being satisfied that Lord Carrion was not there. The letter was given on the instruction that the maid's identity be kept a secret, as she informed Violet "this is nothing to do with me, and I won't return a reply."

With that knowledge, Violet waited until the maid had finished her duties, before reading the letter, so that she wouldn't be tempted to ask the woman any questions that might lead her into trouble. As the door shut, Violet ripped open the seal, and sat down on the bed to read.

Violet saw a young person's neat handwriting, which she did not recognise. She scanned the letter quickly, too eager to know it's content to read it carefully.

Please meet me in the flower garden after dinner today. Lord Carrion will have to attend a late meeting, so you will not have to explain your absence.

Candy Quackenbush

Violet folded the letter up quickly and hid it in her pocket. She sat uncomfortably for a moment, as the words sunk in. Meet with Candy Quackenbush, why? What could she possibly want with _her_? But the more pressing matter was, did she tell Carrion?

Walking out of the room, Candy searched for the only person she knew that never held back her opinion, Elspeth. Of course it wasn't as simple as just going to El's room, as Violet had no idea where it was.

"Excuse me," she said to a passing maid. The girl curtsied low, and for a moment Violet wondered what was wrong with her, until she realised who she now was. "I'm looking for my handmaid…"

"Yes mistress, I'll fetch her for you," she said with her head bowed so that she wouldn't look Violet in the eye. "Where shall I send her to m'am?"

Violet felt embarrassed to be spoken to in such a way, that she answered 'the garden', and quickly walked away. On her way, she passed by an abandoned newspaper, clearly discarded by the maid, when she had realised that she wasn't alone.

Violet stared at the front page. It was a picture of herself, holding onto Lord Carrion's hand, and smiling her fake happy smile. Overhead it read: _Midnight's mistress, future Queen? _Violet felt her stomach lurch into a sickening feeling. Future Queen? If they wanted to kill her, there wasn't a better way. Mater Motley would certainly want her dead now, she wouldn't want a rival to her title.

Rolling up the paper, and carrying it like a tube, Violet escaped into the garden. She was grateful that there was no one around, and that she wouldn't have to speak to anyone. Elspeth came hurrying from a door a little way up the path, and headed towards her."What?" Elspeth demanded. "I was having a nap." 

"What were you having a nap for? It's still the morning!" Violet asked.

"Because," El began, sounding annoyed. "They make us servants get up so darn early for breakfast!"

Violet didn't reply but handed Elspeth the letter. She chewed her lip as El read.

"What do I do El? Would it being betraying Lord Carrion if I didn't tell him? Or should I respect Candy Quackenbush? I just don't know. What if she knows something I don't? Here, look at this…" Violet showed Elspeth the newspaper. "I'm a target."

"You don't know that," Elspeth said, but her voice was not sure.

"Motley will not want me to live. I'm dead already."

"But Lord Carrion will protect you!" Elspeth said, she sounded a little more confident this time.

Violet shook her head.

"Why should he? What can he possibly want with me? I'm only here until he finds something better," Violet said sadly. "I shall always be in danger."

Elspeth handed the letter back to her cousin. She knew her opinion, but ultimately it was up to Violet.

"I'd tell Lord Carrion. He'll like that your loyal, and you need him to like you…"

Violet nodded her head slowly, but not really agreeing. She gave Elspeth a small smile and then headed back to her room. She would have to think this one over, as the consequences of her decision could be great.

Violet wondered why she was waiting. What was she doing? If Carrion caught her here, she wouldn't be able to explain her way out of it, and he'd never believe that she hadn't arranged this meeting herself.

Maybe she could say that she was here to look at the flowers? But even that sounded weak to her own ears. Suddenly there was a sound of a stone being kicked as someone walked, and Candy Quackenbush was stood a few paces away from her.

"You decided to come then?" Candy asked.

Violet looked her over. They were more or less the same size, but where she dressed in dark colours, there were not a single dark shade on Candy. Violet tried to smile at her, but it was clear that they were both nervous of each other.

"I thought you might not," Candy added.

"Why?"

"Because I thought maybe his spell over you would be too strong," Candy explained. "I'm glad it's not."

Violet frowned confused.

"I'm not under a spell," she said quietly.

"You don't have to lie," Candy said seriously.

"I'm not," Violet said. Suddenly she felt annoyed, she hadn't come here for an argument. If there was nothing to be gained by this, then she would rather just leave.

Candy shook her head and sat down on a raised flower bed. Carrion's power over Violet was much stronger than she imagined, and clearly the girl wasn't about to admit it.

"Why are you here with Carrion?" Candy asked. "Wouldn't it be safer for you to stay at home?"

"I can't go home. I am wanted in Midnight, I escaped from the dungeons. Lord Carrion took me in," Violet said. She saw a flash of fear across Candy's face.

The dungeons, Candy thought, then she must have some powers after all! But it didn't answer anything, it didn't answer why she was here.

"Why are _you_ here?" Violet asked.

Candy raised an eyebrow.

"You mean you don't know?" Candy asked sceptically. "You didn't hear about my escape from Lord Carrion? I call it an escape, because that is what it was."

Violet shook her head, a little surprised by Candy's defensive tone.

"Well, I know that you refused to meet with Lord Carrion, but didn't you go home? Why did you come back?"

Candy bit one of her nails, and looked down at the ground. She wondered whether she really could trust this girl, but what choice did she have? Violet was trapped here like she was, they were in it together.

"You have heard of Princess Boa I suppose," Candy began, she waited for a reply.

"Of course."

"Well, when she died, her soul was put inside of me. I'm here because of her… she speaks to me."

Violet stepped backwards and placed her hand on her chest in shock. Whatever she had been expecting, It wasn't that.

"Does Lord Carrion know?" Violet asked in a whisper.

"Of course," Candy said mirroring Violet's previous answer.

Violet felt her heart beating fiercely in her chest. For a moment she felt she wanted to cry, she truly was only here until she was no longer useful. Any previous thoughts, that she might actually be wanted here, seemed stupid. Why would Lord Carrion want _her_ company when his Princess Boa was inside this girl?

"Oh, I see," Violet said, her voice empty. "I think I have to go."

"No, wait, please don't go. I didn't mean to make you upset," Candy said hurrying to stand in front of her. "I just want to help you, you can trust me, you can trust Boa too."

Violet stared at her. This was all too much. She was suppose to be Lord Carrion's mistress, it was supposed to be her that he wanted, except that it was all lies, and the longer it continued, the more confused Violet was getting.

Sometimes she looked at him and wondered what it would be like if she really was his mistress. Would he share all his secrets with her? Would he tell her what he was thinking when sat and looked out of the window? But then she would realise what she was imagining, and turn away from it and herself in disgust. She should not think such things.

But it seemed it was only her with such thoughts. He had moved here to be near Candy, and if it was true, Princess Boa. Not Violet, it would never be her.

"Candy you must help me. I want to leave, but I cannot until Midnight is safe for me to return to. You must have seen the papers… they think I will be Midnight's Queen! Motley will search the Abarat to kill me, I know it, I'll never be safe whilst she reigns!" Violet said.

She knew she was lying, but what could she do? Candy might be offering her friendship, but she had pledged allegiance to Carrion, and loyal to Carrion she must stay.

If Candy had sway with the leaders of Day, then if Violet could help Carrion with his plans by using Candy, then she would. Letheo didn't seem to be making too much progress, but maybe he wasn't as good a liar, as Violet had become.

"You must make them hold back their armies. They must not attack Midnight. Lord Carrion has to able to take back control of the City of Gorgossium, or the war will spill out on to the other islands!"

Violet could have fallen to her knees with the shame. What had she become? What had she become that she could lie without thinking of the damage it could do? Was she so truly a follower of Carrion's that she cared for no one and nothing else?

"But Carrion is weakened, he has no army…" Candy began. "What can he do?"

Violet saw that Candy's eyes were trusting, and wide with anticipation.

"Please, I cannot say. But Midnight will be a better place without that evil woman. Lord Carrion is the only one who can govern that hour, who else could do it?"

Candy bit her lip.

"I'll try my best," she said taking Violet's hand in hers. "If you ever need to talk to someone…"

Violet looked away, she couldn't bear to look into Candy's eyes. She couldn't help but like the girl, Candy was a better person than she was. It was no wonder that her Lord loved her.


	19. Revelation

Thank you for the reviews guys! This chapter features a bit more Carrion than the last few. … as you can never have too much Chris Carrion.

Chapter Nineteen

Revelation

Violet found Lord Carrion in their room, the only light was the flickering flame in the fireplace; the rest of the room was in darkness, with the curtains drawn.

Violet suddenly felt more at home, in this dark cave that Carrion had created for himself, the light of the day was too unfamiliar to her.

Carrion was sat by the fire, reading something, and every so often he smiled. Violet quietly took the chair from her dressing table, and brought it round to sit next to him. She noticed the bottle of whisky in his hand, and looked away. His moods were always more erratic when he had been drinking.

Violet waited to be acknowledged, but since they spent most of their time together these days, though usually in silence and in their own employment, greeting one another properly was quite often forgotten.

Finally Carrion finished reading, and met Violet's eye. She looked away uncomfortably.

"Do you want to tell me why you were not here when I returned?" he asked, his voice so serious that Violet felt instantly alarmed.

"I thought I was allowed out."

"That is not what is in question. It is, _where have you been_?"

Violet looked down at the ground.

"I had a letter," she said reaching into her pocket. "It came earlier today."

She handed the letter over with trepidation. Carrion set his drink down before reaching for the letter. He unfolded it and Violet watched his eyes scanning every word, he smiled unpleasantly as he reached the end.

"So, keeping secrets from me are you?" he asked still looking at the letter, now crumpled up in his hand.

"No, I'd never…"

His smile disappeared as he looked at her dangerously.

"You have lied!" he accused.

Violet clenched her fists, she felt her anger flare to the surface, he had no idea how much she had done for him.

"Yes I have lied!" Violet shouted. "But not to you. I lied to a girl that wanted nothing more than to help me. Candy is a good person, and I abused her trust to help _you_."

Violet stood breathing heavily, she couldn't believe the way she was acting. A few week ago this man inspired the most terrible of fears in her, and now she was testing his temper.

Carrion stood also, he moved towards her threateningly, but Violet didn't flinch away.

"You dare to raise you voice to me?" Carrion challenged her.

Violet shook her head to find her voice.

"You appreciate nothing!"

For a moment she thought he might hit her, she wouldn't have blamed him, she was nothing but some girl, by rights she shouldn't even be allowed to look at him, let alone speak to him like this. But he did nothing but walk halfway across the room to calm himself down.

"How then have you deceived Candy Quackenbush?"

"It hardly matters now," Violet said, eager for it all to be forgotten. "But you will get your wish, Candy will stop them from declaring war on Midnight."

Carrion looked at her sharply, he looked surprised by her words. And seemed to have forgotten what he was doing, by closing the gap between them and taking hold of her roughly. His hands held the top of her arms. He pulled her away from the fire and closer to him, as if he might shake the answers out of her.

"I did not ask that of you," he said, his voice low. "What are you doing?"

Violet looked up at him breathlessly in surprise.

"I just want to help you," Violet whispered.

She looked at his hands nervously and realised that she was shaking.

"Are you afraid of me?" he asked once he had caught her eye.

Violet shook her head, she was shivering but it wasn't because she was frightened he was going to hurt her. Her heart was pounding for a totally different reason.

Violet closed her eyes to try and find her thoughts, and suddenly something inside of her started to overpower her reason. _Kiss me_, her mind was saying, _just once, just once so I know_.

Violet's eyes shot open, he had, he had kissed her. No, he was kissing her. Just very lightly, hardly a kiss at all, but enough for Violet to panic.

Her body wouldn't let her respond, she had frozen and her mind was repeating its sad mantra. _He doesn't love you, he loves Candy_.

Carrion let her go, and Violet in her haste to get away fell backwards into her chair. By the time she had righted herself, Carrion had left the room, with the door slamming behind him.

* * *

Carrion swept down the hallway trying to stop his mind overtaking him with unwanted thoughts. He had felt so sure that Violet had warmed to him in the time that they had been together, but now he knew that he had been wrong. He disgusted her just like he disgusted everyone else, how had allowed himself to hope once more? 

He could still feel the way she had frozen against him in fear, and tried to block it out of his head. The thoughts shamed him too much, and he refused to look at her in that way ever again.

Carrion kept walking until he reached the door he was looking for, he knocked on it loudly and stepped back. Eventually he heard someone scuffling to answer it, and it opened to reveal a tired looking Elspeth.

"Does Violet want me?" she asked sleepily.

"No, I want you," Carrion replied.

Elspeth's brow furrowed as she tried to think.

"What?"

Carrion didn't reply, just pushed her back into the room. The girl that she was sharing the room screamed, and fled out a side door.

Elspeth stood without shame in her oversized t-shirt, her small bare legs sticking out from underneath. She stared at him waiting for an explanation.

"How would you like to be famous?" Carrion asked walking to the window and pulling back the curtain. The light touched his face and made the room feel warmer.

"What kind of question is that?"

"I can make you famous Elspeth, if you do something for me…"

Elspeth raised an eyebrow, her face was unimpressed. Carrion knew that unlike her cousin Violet, Elspeth was much more sceptical of him, and rarely ever obeyed him without a fuss.

"Do what?"

"Call your friends in, I have a proposal to make of you all," Carrion said taking a seat on Elspeth's bed.

Elspeth winkled her nose at him, as if she did not appreciate where he had decided to sit. But despite her annoyance, Elspeth did what she was told, and left the room to find her band members.


	20. Marzipan

Hello gang! Long chapter this time, I got a little bit carried away. Hopefully you'll forgive me the cliffhanger at the end of the last one. 

**Ramla Okami**-- 8 hours shouldn't be allowed. Seriously.

**Warnings:** Sexual situations in this chapter!! Good old fashioned depravity, always fun! But nothing graphic...at least not yet anyway.

Marzipan

It was the following evening when Violet finally emerged from her room, driven out of safety by her empty stomach. At first she had been waiting for Elspeth to arrive with her breakfast, but when she didn't show, Violet had stayed in bed and fallen asleep once more.

In her dreams she dreamt of Carrion, he told her repeatedly that he couldn't stand to be near her, and that to think that he might care for her was pathetic. Her frustrated dreams were finally interrupted by Elspeth knocking on the door.

Violet had been surprised to see her cousin dressed in her travelling clothes, with a large bag slung over her shoulder.

"I've only got a few minutes," El said noticing Violet's saddened face. "I don't want to leave you, honestly, but… you'll understand soon."

"Is Carrion sending you away?" Violet asked worried.

Violet felt herself growing hot inside, and knew that tears were not far away. Was Carrion punishing her now, because she was Violet and not princess Boa? Why else would he send Elspeth away, her only friend in this unfamiliar place.

"I can't explain, I can't allow you to stop me. I've agreed to this by myself, you don't need to worry."

"How can I not worry now?"

Elspeth didn't answer, just hugged Violet briefly and readjusted her bag. She tired a smile, but found Violet's sadness to heavy to shake off.

"You'll be seeing me sooner than you expect," Elspeth said cryptically.

Elspeth was about to leave, when Violet grabbed her arm in an attempt to stop her.

"Don't worry," El assured her, patting her arm. "Besides, Carrion probably has loads of plans for you, you'll be too busy to miss me!"

It was a sad parting, but fear of running into Carrion prevented Violet from waving Elspeth goodbye on the steps, and she remained in her room thinking.

The evening was quiet, and Violet met very few people on her wanderings. Somehow she managed to reach the kitchens, and she peered into the room cautiously. The kitchen staff were sitting around a table chatting to one another.

Violet was about to leave, when someone spotted her. She was invited into the room, and feeling embarrassed she walked towards them self consciously. Once she was identified, the staff scrambled to their feet looking as nervous as she.

"Mistress Carrion, how can we be of service?"

Violet looked at the woman who had spoke, she was a large woman who reminded her greatly of her late grandmother, she felt drawn to her instantly.

"I…er, I could do with some food," Violet said feeling studied.

Everyone sprang into action, making Violet feel guilty, she hadn't meant to interrupt their break. Leaning against a work top, Violet watched them uncovering bowls and looking for leftovers to give her.

Violet was allowed to pick what she wanted from each bowl, like her own private buffet, and with her attention caught on the food, the staff began to gossip again. Not fully aware of what they were talking about, Violet only looked up when they decided to go back to work.

"Ok there sweet?" the older lady asked once everyone had left.

Violet nodded.

"Where has everyone gone?"

"To return the trays we take to people's rooms."

Violet nodded, then realised she didn't know who she was speaking to.

"I'm Violet by the way," she said between mouthfuls.

"You can call me Cook," the woman said. "Everybody does."

Violet smiled.

A few of the staff returned with trays, and began putting things away in cupboards, they were busy and worked around Violet and Cook. Cook's shift must have ended, as she found a bottle of whisky in the cupboard and poured herself a glass. She offered a drink to Violet, who hesitated before accepting.

"You look like you need one," she said sympathetically. "The sooner you go home, the better."

Violet looked at her startled. Did everyone know that Lord Carrion didn't really care about her? Had he told everyone that he couldn't wait to be rid of her? Was that why Elspeth had left?

"What do you mean?" Violet asked breathlessly.

"You don't suit this hour, you look like a moth flying at a flame."

Violet didn't understand, but at least she had been wrong about Cook knowing her secrets. She drained the content of her glass and allowed another to be poured.

"I'll be happy to leave," Violet said, her tongue loosened by the second drink.

The whisky bottle soon became two, with Violet drinking most, and she found herself speaking about her family whilst helping to wash-up.

"I don't think mother knows where I am, not unless she has read the papers. She was away visiting friends when I left. Father is going to be in trouble when she returns."

Cook took a plate from Violet to dry. She listened without prying, the girl seemed desperate to speak of her past events, and she let her speak, only prompting when Violet left a question in the air. She couldn't pretend that she was not curious about this girl, who it sounded as if had gone from nothing to Mistress in a matter of weeks.

"Your father allowed you to go?"

Violet pulled another plate from the water, she was starting to regret drinking so much, as it was creeping upon her now, making her dizzy.

"He didn't have a lot of choice."

Violet abandoned the sink, and strangely thought it would be a good idea to explore the cupboards. She bumped into a kitchen maid on her way around, and stumbled to the fruit bowl. She could feel Cook's eyes on her, clearly not sure what to do with the intoxicated girl.

Violet hopped up onto the kitchen counter with her findings; a block of marzipan, and began breaking pieces off and rolling them in her hands, before eating them.

"But!" Violet said loudly and without warning. "I don't care. I don't that he doesn't care…you know?" she continued without making too much sense.

Cook stepped forward, a half dried cup in her hands, concerned Violet would fall from her perch, but retreated quickly when the door opened.

"Lord Carrion," Cook greeted curtseying low.

"Why are you here?" Violet asked impertinently before putting another piece of marzipan into her mouth. Cook turned away wide-eyed and shocked. "You don't live here," Violet continued.

"Has she been drinking?" Carrion asked, his voice was without emotion.

Cook stared at him before answering. Was he ignoring Violet's rude comments, maybe Violet drank often? Cook's eyes strayed to the table, where two empty bottles stood, one knocked over where Violet had tripped into the table.

Carrion looked at Violet, who was looking at him challengingly, putting berry's into her mouth in defiantly.

"What do you want now? Can't I make a new friend? You sent Elspeth away, you… you did it on purpose!" Violet accused.

There was quite a crowd now, the kitchen staff had gathered to watch the surprising performance in their midst, and judging from the gaping faces, no one knew what to make of it.

"You are causing a scene," Carrion said, his voice was low now, but Violet wouldn't take notice. She threw marzipan at his shoulder, and it bounced onto the floor.

Whilst everyone looked at the floor, at the marzipan rolling away, Carrion had taken hold of Violet's arms, and was dodging her legs as she tried kicking him away. Violet appeared to be loosing, as her legs were now either side of him, and he was holding her in some sort of restraining hug. Violet's legs flailed, and she shouted against his chest, but he didn't let go.

Eventually Violet calmed down, and in that split second that she stopped kicking, Carrion pulled her roughly over his shoulder in a fireman's lift.

Violet screamed and smacked her hands on his back.

"Put me down. How dare you! I'm going to complain, you won't get away with this!" Violet shouted.

No one knew who she was going to complain to, and Violet didn't elaborate. Just continued the same threats in increasingly ruder ways.

Carrion turned to look at Cook, and Cook saw how hard he was holding Violet's legs, stopping her from kicking them up and down.

"My apologies," he said.

Cook was stunned, and simply bowed her head. She stared gaped mouth as Violet was carried outside still fighting for freedom. As soon as the door closed, chaos erupted in the kitchen, and hysterical laughter ensued.

Carrion kept a hold of Violet tightly as he walked, he ignored all the strange looks he got from the people he passed.

"Madam, you are starting to become an embarrassment," he said once Violet had run out of rude words to call him.

He passed by an open door, where an important meeting was taking place. The meeting was paused while everyone stared Lord Carrion sweeping past, and at Violet declaring how much she hated him.

They reached their room, and Carrion threw Violet down on the bed, he then doubled back to lock the door.

He turned to face Violet, and was about to ask her why she couldn't be respectable, when he was checked by the sound of her crying.

Lying flat on her back, Violet stared up at the ceiling.

"I want to go home," she sobbed. "I'm all alone here."

Carrion felt his heart tighten in pain, she felt alone, he did not feature in her thoughts. She didn't keep him in her heart at all. He wanted to shout at her, hurt her, make her feel some of the pain that he felt every day when he was near her, but he found that he couldn't say a word.

"You hate me. Why can't I leave?"

"You are not leaving," Carrion said coldly.

Violet sobbed again. He hadn't refuted her claim that he hated her, and Violet felt herself filled with despair. She didn't understand, and her sadness made her feel reckless. Elspeth was gone, she was away from him, safe, so Violet felt she had nothing to lose now.

She sat up and stared at him. Carrion studied her angry tearstained face, suddenly she smiled, but not her small sweet smile. He saw his own depraved smile on her lips, and felt his heart hammering. He was driving her insane, everyday she was with him she grew more and more apart from her old self.

The smile unnerved him, she looked possessed by something, the drink, the anger, she was just another prisoner in his dark world. She had moved to the end of the bed now, her long skirt had caught underneath her, and her sheer stockinged legs reached towards the floor seductively.

Carrion found himself moving towards her, captured by her dark eyes looking up at him under her lashes.

"Do you want me?" she asked, her tiny heeled shoe lifted off the floor to touch his leg.

She bit her bottom lip as she waiting for him, and Carrion saw the light catch it as she returned to her tantalising smile. Carrion knew his control slipping away from him, for the first time he realised just how much power she had over him. How dangerous she would be once she realised this, that dangerous deprave smile would entrap him.

He longed to send her away, to save himself from more pain in his heart, but he couldn't bear to think that smile might fall onto someone else.

Violet felt her heart might explode, and skin felt on fire. She tingled everywhere, but nowhere so much as between her thighs. She felt restless there, nothing that she could explain, and she shifted on the bed in an attempt to dispel some of the wantonness she felt, but it only caused her to sigh. And although she had been with men before, never had she desired intimacy as she did just then.

She heard herself panting softly, willing him closer with her eyes. He was climbing over her now, under the same spell, and Violet found herself frantically shuffling backwards up the bed until her head hit the pillows. She pulled him towards her then, enjoying the feeling of being trapped beneath him, her lips desperate for his kisses.

But then as she hold onto him, she felt him press against her, and it made her catch her breath in a panic. This was real, he did want her, here was the proof, but it still answered no questions. It meant nothing that what it was. Alcohol made her bold and reckless, it made her different person, and she found herself thinking:

_I don't care if he doesn't care for me, he's with me now, and not her. That has to mean something. _And then reason attacked her: _It means he can't have her, you're just convenient. _

Alcohol pushed reason aside

Carrion felt her leg snake up around him, resting on his back to keep him with her. He didn't know why he couldn't stop what was happening. She was too drunk to know what she was doing, and yet she held him tightly as if she had wanted this for a long time too.

_No_. Carrion thought. He was imagining things to make himself feel less guilty. But why did he even care? She was a more willing lover than any he had had before. All thoughts left his mind again as he heard Violet moan beneath him.

She made him forget himself, she made him feel that it didn't matter that he was Lord Carrion of Midnight. Nothing seemed to matter anymore, not if she wanted him despite it all.

This isn't right, something inside of him said, he had to stop this now. His hands lay still on her body, and Violet looked up at him with large waiting eyes. He pushed her away from him with more force than he intended, in his haste to leave before he couldn't.

"Take the bed," he said straightening his shirt. "Report to me for orders in the morning."

Once at the door, he chanced a look at her. Sat at the side of the bed, clumsily doing up her buttons with shaking hands, her face was innocent and demure once more, and the tears were back.


	21. Just an Employee

**A/N: **Thank you everyone for the reviews! Changing scenes again in this chapter. I can't say how much longer this story will be, I'm certainly not at the end yet, but I think I've gone past half way now! Yay. Thanks again for the reviews!

**Chapter Twenty One**

**Just an Employee**

Lord Carrion was sat next to Candy Quackenbush, and the girl looked sick at the thought of being so close to him. The lights were dim, as Carrion could no longer bear the bright light of day, and now every room had to be curtained.

Violet was torn between going further into the room, and running away. Her heart was sinking lower and lower. She had had envisioned all sorts for their morning meeting. She had thought he would acknowledge her at least, maybe apologise for the way he had left her.

But then she realised, this was Lord Carrion. He never apologised for anything, and what claim did she have over him anyway? She had thrown herself upon him like a starved woman, she didn't blame him for being disgusted with her.

Candy looked up at her first, she smiled a genuine smile of friendship, and Violet was sorry that they were enemies in this game. Carrion pulled a chair out with his free hand, but didn't look up from his papers.

"I want you to sign this," he said handing Violet a sheet of paper, again he avoided her eyes.

Violet took a pen and held it above the dotted line. Carrion watched her hand expectantly, he needed things to get a move on today, and Violet's pen hovering over the paper was infuriating.

"You should read that first," Candy warned. Her voice had started strong, and ended as merely a mumble when Carrion's eyes flashed upon her.

Candy's warning touched a nerve, did Candy know more than her? Was Candy Carrion's Mistress now? Was she signing a form that would send her home? She didn't think she could bear to be sent home in that way.

"Maybe later," Violet said setting her pen down.

Carrion snatched the paper from her, and without warning, ripped it in half. Violet sat alert, it was the first time she had been afraid of him in a long time. She remained ridged in her seat, waiting for something to happen, as it was clear that Carrion's mood was as dark as she has ever seen it.

"I have no time for your foolishness," he said maliciously to Violet.

Feeling Candy's questioning eyes upon her, along with everyone else's in the room, Violet got to her feet before she could begin crying in front of them all. Hurrying to the door in as fast a walk as she could manage, Violet broke into a run and hurtled to the garden, not really knowing where she was going.

The garden path took her to the boundaries of the garden wall, where she then found a gate taking her out into freedom. At least that was what it felt like. She was in public domain now, she was a no one again. Only, she knew she would never be a no one, she would always Carrion's Mistress, even if secretly it was all a sham.

He might have spared her last night, but he had used her in every other way, her only consolation was that she wasn't doing this for free. She let her tears fall as she walked, and longed for Elspeth's clearheaded reasoning.

In her mind she heard Elspeth's voice.

_All men suck, you should know that. You're pretty old now, after all. Not as old as Carrion of course, and what is his problem? You are way hot. He's just stupid._

Violet smiled. Elspeth had said she would be seeing her soon, and Violet hoped that would be true. Having been lost in her thoughts, she suddenly had the feeling that someone was following her, and she turned to see Candy and Letheo heading towards her. Violet started at the presence of Letheo, and then she remembered that he was supposed to be Candy's friend now, not Carrion's servant.

"Violet, I was worried I wouldn't find you. Carrion hasn't hurt you has he?" Candy asked, her eyes filled with concern.

Violet couldn't understand why this girl had come after her. Why wasn't she with Carrion? He wouldn't have wanted Candy to leave, not after he had succeeded in getting rid of herself.

"I have to get out of here," Violet said, ignoring Letheo's frightened glance. He was aware at least that Carrion would not be please about this. "Carrion mustn't know that I'm going."

Candy looked sideways at Letheo as if trying to share her concerns with him, but Letheo looked straight ahead at Violet with a deadly impassive expression.

"Of course, I'll help you anyway that I can. But you can't go looking like that, you'll have to go in disguise," Candy said, her voice was calm against Violet's panicked tones. "Letheo, lend her some clothes, you'll have to go dressed as a boy."

Violet stared at her. She wondered whether Candy had thought about running away too.

"Trust me, I've had tons of practice running away from Lord Carrion," she added in a light tone, as if to invite a laugh, but no one laughed.

"I'm not running away," Violet protested. "I just, need to go home for a while."

Candy nodded, and knew that Violet would remain in her nervous mood until she was safely on her way. She didn't blame her. Her own situation here was risky, she was safe as long as everyone played by the rules. But if Carrion decided he had had enough of negotiations, she didn't know what would happen to her.

"Why don't you take Violet to get some clothes, and I'll tell Finnegan to take you down to the harbour," Candy said, her voice was almost questioning, as if she expected Violet to protest, and clearly she did not like taking control of this situation. "You be ok, I promise."

Violet didn't take her promise. There was no way Candy could mean that promise. Violet was in dangerous waters now, betraying Carrion, leaving when she had said she would not. But there was no time for regrets, she had made up her mind the moment Carrion had dismissed her.

Together they walked back through the garden, and Candy left them at the gate to take another path. Letheo, who had been itching to give his opinion, began to vent his feelings.

"Got a death wish?" he asked at first, but receiving not reply, continued. "You'll be in trouble once Carrion knows you're missing, he wont let you go you know."

Violet looked up hopefully.

"You know far too much," he concluded.

Violet looked back down at the ground. She supposed it would be too much to expect that Carrion would miss her, Letheo was right, she knew too much. If she wasn't on his side, she was against him, an enemy, and someone to be destroyed.

"I am an employee Letheo," Violet said, her voice shaking. "I am entitled to leave when I wish."

Letheo had nothing to say to this. He knew better than to argue with her when anyone could have overheard them, and besides, with Violet gone, he was yet again Lord Carrion's most faithful servant.

It wasn't with a heavy heart that he watched Violet climb onto the back of the bread wagon, along with Finnegan Hobb, both dressed in disguise. He watched her grow smaller as she disappeared out of all of their lives, and knew that he was only jealous of one thing, that she had somewhere to disappear to.

Candy's plan worked so well that Violet was sure she was dreaming. Letheo's clothes were long on her, but with the trousers tucked into her boots, and her sleeves rolled up, she passed the same people who had welcomed her like a Queen, disguised as a servant boy.

"I wish that I could go with you, to know you are safe," Finnegan said as they waited for the word that the boat was ready for boarding.

Violet smiled at him, but it was not the smile she had learned whilst playacting, but a true smile of her own. Maybe there were friends to be found within this mess of lies and pretend that she had created.

She looked into his kind eyes for a moment, and although they were lined with faint creases of age, but saw the same hunger for adventure that all young men were born with. But she had no more adventures to share, and looked away.

"If you need to find me, I shall be staying in Idjit, in the town of…" Violet said, she paused, she could never pronounce the name. she raised her hands, about the draw the letters in the air, her own strange invention from when she was a child, or spelling letters in the air. "D…" Violet said tracing the letter in the air. "I."

Finnegan snatched her hands out of the air and stopped them moving.

"What are you doing?" he asked sharply.

Violet stared at him stunned. People usually looked at her strangely, but no one had ever been angry before.

"I just…"

"You'll make the words real," Finnegan said.

"But I don't…"

Violet had nothing to say. Finnegan was talking about magic, but she had never done any magic in her life. She knew no one who could do magic, except for Lord Carrion of course.

"I am sorry," Finnegan said sounding ashamed. "You just need to be careful. Here, write it down."

Violet took the small notepad and pen, and wrote down her uncle's address. She gave him another small smile. She wanted to say a great many number of things, like, look after Candy, and to keep a ear out for news on Elspeth, but instead she said nothing.

Only on the boat did she give herself a chance to draw breath, and when the sky turned dark overhead, she felt relief. The island of Idjit, 2am, loomed out of the mist that hung over the water, and Violet walked to the railings of the boat. She was back, after all this time, she was almost home.


	22. Elspeth was Propaganda

**Chapter Twenty Two**

**Elspeth was propaganda**

Gerret and Holly were outside of their house speaking to a neighbour when Violet began the trek up their front path. They stared at her bewildered, not knowing who she was, and waited for her to near them.

"I can't explain in front of strangers," Violet said.

They needed no greetings, it was clear that as soon as they saw her face up-close that they knew who she was. Instantly they had recognised her voice, if nothing else, and bid goodbye to their curious neighbour before welcoming Violet back into their home.

"I thought we might never see you again," Holly said as Violet took off her hat and shook out her hair. "We've heard all sorts of things. You've been in every paper, even on TV!"

Violet took a deep breath.

"I'm on the run. No one must know I'm here, and if anyone asks then I'm one of your nephews. I'm sorry to turn up again like this, but I had no where else to go."

"Does Lord Carrion know you're here?" Gerret asked nervously.

Violet bit her lip nervously. She had brought danger upon this family, no, Carrion had brought it, once again.

"No. It's him I'm running from."

Holly touched Gerret's arm in a protective movement, as if to assure herself that he was still there with her in this strange turn of events. Then she smiled what Violet could see was a fake smile trying to mask her alarmed expression.

"Well, lets not linger in the doorway," she said rather too forcefully. "Come in to where it's warm, I'm making dinner."

Violet smiled at the two boys, who were playing on the carpet near to the kitchen. They had both grown since she had seen them last, the oldest smiled remembering her, the youngest shied away.

"You haven't brought that weird man with you have you?" the eldest asked standing up and peering around Violet to look for Lord Carrion.

Violet smiled.

"No, I haven't," she said, watching him smile, clearly delighted at the news.

Dinner was a strained event. The children filled the silences with happy babble and innocently enquiring questions about Violet, but for the adults, words wouldn't come easy.

Gerret managed to maintain a conversation about the vegetables he was growing in the garden, and Violet tried to appear as interested as she could, to keep her mind from wandering. But there was only so much pretending to be normal that the three could manage, and finally they gave up on dinner.

The children went to bed early, and Violet remained watching the TV with Holly and Gerret. They frequently cast her askance glances, wanting to ask her questions but not knowing where to begin. It wasn't until the news report came onto the TV that they ventured some words.

_Lord Carrion continues to remain low to the ground, he has not been seen since his arrival. But the mystery of Mistress Violet continues. Who is she? Where did she come from? And will she one day be Queen of Midnight?_

The reporter was about to do a tour of the Great Head, when Holly interrupted.

"Violet, what possessed you?" she asked suddenly, she was sitting on the edge of the sofa, her hands gripping the cushions as if she expected to fall off.

Violet snapped back from her daydreams, she had become so used to people calling her Midnight's Mistress that she forgot Holly and Gerret were not. She looked down at the ground.

She supposed it would have been too much to expect her aunt and uncle not to have any questions. They had held back from asking longer than Violet had expected, but still she was not really ready to answer them.

"I had to," she said meekly.

"He forced you!" Gerret exclaimed loudly, he stood up abruptly, as if he was ready to fight Lord Carrion if he should come through the door.

"Of course not!" Violet said alarmed. "He's not like that…he…" but she found she had nothing to say in his defence. Her heart was still angry with him, and it wouldn't let her defend him blindly.

"He does not love me, it was an arrangement only. He does not love me…" Violet trailed into silence.

Holly turned to Gerret.

"Would you give me and Violet a moment alone?" she asked soothingly. "I'll join you upstairs shortly."

Gerret, looked from his wife to Violet, and seeing that he wasn't going to any help in this moment, left them reluctantly, but still wanting to defend Violet's honour. Holly waited for the bedroom door to close before she spoke.

"I'm going to ask you this, only because I care you understand. I'm not looking for gossip, I just want to know the truth…" she paused so that Violet could ready herself. "Were you a true mistress with him?"

Violet looked down at the ground. She heard Holly repeat 'oh no' over and over.

"Violet, please, answer me."

Violet looked up resolutely, and Holly saw her eyes were filled with tears.

"Oh sweetheart, Oh Violet, I know. Those kind of men, they take a girl's heart and her innocence without any care, and crush it under their boot," Holly said trying to take Violet's hand but unsuccessfully. "But you'll survive, I promise, oh Violet, don't cry."

But it was too late, Violet was holding her head in her hands. Tears racking her body. All the fears, all the wonderings of late, escaped her, and worst of all she couldn't understand her feelings, they were so jumbled.

"I have not been with him, not in that way," she said through her sobs. "It was all pretend. He doesn't love me, he doesn't even want me. We just pretended, so that the world would look at me and leave him alone. But I couldn't bear to be near him anymore, I had to leave."

"Why did you leave?" Holly asked, she had not expected the revelation that Violet had given her, and her voice showed it in it's whisper.

"Because…" Violet turned her face away, the pictures on the TV flickering over her face. "I love him."

There was silence between them, only the man on the TV spoke to them. Both sat stunned. Violet couldn't understand why she has felt the need to tell Holly something that she couldn't even admit to herself. Yes, she loved him. I wasn't a secret anymore. It wasn't a burden anymore. It was a sad fact, and nothing more.

"You were right to leave Violet," Holly said eventually. But Violet was silently crying again.

"Am I really so plain?" she asked. "Why doesn't he want me? He could have, I wanted him to, and he pushed me away. Am I so repulsive?"

Holly thought she might never find her voice again, she had been unprepared for this. She had thought she had worked it all out. She had seen a run away girl, she had seen a used girl, used like one of many and thrown away, but she had seen wrong.

Holly knew how rich men lived, and not just in Midnight, they used girls and threw them away when they grew bored. Although no report had ever reached her that suggested that Lord Carrion was the same, but she had always just assumed that was because girls were told to hold their tongues. But Violet's revelations didn't fit with her ideas, and she knew that something else had happened, this was something more dangerous.

"No, Violet. You are beautiful, you are!" she insisted when Violet shook her head. "Can't you see? Can't you see what has happened? You have such a big heart, you could love anyone. You are full of innocence, you've risked your life for him, and I know that he's seen that. He knows that you are a good girl, and he has spared you."

Violet shook her head, she didn't want to hear this. She didn't even know why she had said so much already, it had just all seemed to spill out.

"Spared me what?" Violet challenged, looking up, her eyes red from too many tears.

"He thinks too much of you to throw you away like all the others. You are Violet Mousquetaire, you are not some nameless girl, some pretty face. Look at all you have done for him," Holly said trying desperately to get Violet to look at her. "He did not take you to his bed Violet, not because he does not desire you, but because you mean too much. Your part in this isn't over, you have to go back. He'll need you."

"I'm not ready," Violet said sniffing. "And you don't know any of that is true."

"No," Holly said shaking her head. "Not for sure, but that is what I believe."

Violet stood and walked to the kitchen for some water, crying had made her feel empty and her eyes were stinging.

"If I do go back, but he will not welcome me."

"You are the most loyal friend he will ever have, and he'll realise that soon enough," Holly said. Violet thought that Holly was going to hug her, but she hung back hesitantly, finally she said her goodnight and went to join her husband.

For the first time Violet wished she was married, living in a small house, where love wasn't complicated, and it didn't pain the soul.

It was a few days before Violet felt like herself again, Lord Carrion was pushed firmly to the back of her mind, mainly because she busied herself with task after task. Dressed as a boy she chopped wood in the garden, but one morning something caught her ear and drew her back inside the house.

A song floated from the TV to the garden, and the voice sounded so familiar that Violet stopped what she was doing feeling spellbound. Thoughts of Lord Carrion flooded to her at the sound of that voice, that person knew her, and she knew the singer.

"The dark stares you in the face

And says **follow me**

Lungs want breathing space

Fight before you flee"

Violet stepped into the house, as if in a trance. What she saw shocked her heart into standing still, she felt it thud back into life loudly in her chest. Elspeth was singing on TV. Her band behind her, all smiles and excitement.

Violet clenched her fists, as she listened to the words. This was Carrion's doing. Elspeth was now his newest puppet.

Through the night I turn my back

You think the sun can't find you here

Your love is a **surprise attack**

**The forgotten to the frontier**

The lyrics made no particular sense. But Violet knew what was happening. Her army were listening to this, it was their instruction, it was their battle call. War was coming, and Elspeth was propaganda.

The song lyrics spoke of love, when Violet heard only death. The words Elspeth shouted loudest were the instructions. It was clever. Lord Carrion was clever. She had never seen this coming. He'd kept Elspeth around for only this reason, it had had nothing to do with Violet's happiness at all!

Violet finds her romance

**He waits for her call**

In a game of chance

Danger hits her like a musket ball.

Violet stared, stunned at the mention of her name. Motley was sure to notice that. But would she think to look here, at teenagers dancing and singing on a stage? It was all too clever that it made Violet dizzy. She felt lost, and for a moment wondered what Lord Carrion was doing. Was he missing her, or celebrating his latest plan gone well? The latter she thought, he would not miss her, he had no time for her after all.


	23. The fictional Heir

**A/N: **I hoping that, the character's are changing on paper/screen as they are in my mind. The clue is in the title of this fic, everyone is supposed to be getting swept up in this war, and changed by it.

Violet is certainly a different character now than she was in the beginning, and I really hope that I've done enough ground-work on her, especially for where I'm going to be taking her now.

Thank you for the reviews!!

**The fictional Heir**

Violet hadn't spoken to anyone about what she now called her previous life, and in return no one mentioned what had been spoken of on the day of her arrival. Elspeth kept singing, her songs appearing on the TV everyday, singing Carrion's propaganda to whoever was listening, and life in the small house remained in limbo, waiting for something to happen.

Violet was on her way down for breakfast when she heard the whispering, softening her steps, she walked closer, unable to ignore what was being said.

"There is _still_ no letter…" Holly said sounding exasperated, her voice hushed. "I felt sure he'd have come for her by now."

"Now Holly, we don't know…" Gerret said diplomatically, but unable to finish before his wife began talking over him.

"I must have been wrong, perhaps he's forgotten about her after all! I mean, Violet's family to us, but she's easily replaced in Carrion's eyes."

Violet's cheeks burned, and her stomach was knotted, she realised they had been gossiping about her behind her back. How long had they been talking about her? They had plenty to discuss after all, what with her name being mentioned everyday on TV. There was always something to talk about.

Her life was now out in the open, everyone knew which school she had been too, how she had worked as a seamstress, and that she was considered to be nothing but a whore by Mater Motley's supporters.

There seemed to be nothing about her life that wasn't up for discussion. But she had thought herself safe here.

Violet stepped into the kitchen, a hard expression on her face.

Holly looked at her with a expression of horror at being caught. She put down the pot she was cleaning, without taking her eyes off of Violet.

"Violet… what did you hear…?" she asked in a whisper.

"I heard you speaking about me as if you were merely gossiping at the market," Violet spat.

Holly started. The girl they had once known was not the woman before them. This woman had confidence, she stood her ground unflinching, and Holly wonder what must have happened to her to make her change. Nothing good she thought.

"What's the matter? Forgot what you were talking about? I'll remind you, I'm replaceable!"

But for all Violet's altered personality, Holly wasn't prepared to be bullied in her own home. She stepped out of her husband's shadow, and took a step forwards.

"Violet, that is enough!" Holly said as forcefully as she could manage, and under her words Violet shrunk back into the shy girl of before, but anger soon overcame her again, and the shy girl crept away.

"Why? So you can feed me more lies, stupid stories, more rubbish? About how special I am, how I'm different to all the other girls he's known? Well you're lied didn't you, he has forgotten me, are you happy now?" Violet asked with venom.

"I said what I said because at the time I thought it was true. You told me you'd offered yourself to Lord Carrion and he had refused you."

Violet turned away at the vulgarity in which her past actions were being talked of.

"Holly, I don't think this is helping," Gerret interrupting, trying to end the heated conversation that was fast becoming a argument.

"No, it needs to be said," Holly said brushing away her husband's warnings, she returned to look at Violet. "I saw a pretty girl before me and assumed that he had refused for your own good. To keep you safe. Now I see he just didn't want you, maybe he felt unwell, had a headache, how the hell was I supposed to know why? He has plenty of choice I don't wonder, he is a prince after all. Why would he want you? Was that what you wanted to hear, in that moment you were breaking your heart?"

Violet stared at her murderously, her chest rising and falling in dramatic deep breaths. Something inside her was breaking, Holly's words sank deeper than they were intending. They fed Violet's deepest fears, that her time with Carrion had mainly been in her head, and she sank under them.

As soon as Holly stopped shouting, she knew her words had been a mistake, she hadn't meant any of them, but it was too late to take them back. She saw the sad shy girl before her once again, her angry glare disappearing into a look of despair and hopelessness.

"Violet I'm sorry, I didn't mean that…" Holy said, but her words didn't reach Violet, who was staring out the window, her eyes glazed. "Violet?"

"Someone is coming," Violet said eventually, her voice sounding far away.

"What do you mean someone is coming?" Gerret asked concerned that his wife's words had caused his niece's sanity some damage.

"Someone is walking up the path," Violet said again. "I can hear their shoes on the gravel."

Holly and Gerret shared a worried glance, as soon as Violet explained her words, they heard the steps too. They didn't know who would be calling, as they rarely had visitors. The nature of the past argument made them think of Lord Carrion, but he wouldn't be here, surely?

"I'll answer the door," Gerret said, with Holly following him out of the room. Violet remained in the kitchen.

"Hello," a male voice said in greeting as the door was opened, "I am looking for Violet."

Violet walked to the kitchen door, and stood in the doorway, listening.

"We know that she was here, if she isn't now," the male voice continued.

"Please, it's important," another male said, his voice softer and more friendly. "We don't mean her any harm."

Violet had a sense of recognition for the voices, but couldn't place them, she had met so many people on her travels, that she couldn't be sure.

"Who are you?" Gerret asked bluntly.

"I am sorry, I tend to forget my manners these days, my name is Finnegan Hobb, this is Candy Quackenbush and Malingo," said the first speaker.

There was a long stunned pause.

"Oh right," Gerret said. "Well, you best come in then."

There was a long silence in the small house as everyone surveyed each other, then all eyes turned to Violet. Still no one spoke, then the silence was broken.

"You have to come back, it's utter chaos," Candy said ignoring the others surprised glances.

"What has happened?" Violet asked in a panic, fearing the worst.

"Steady on Candy, let's not scare her," Finnegan said after seeing Violet's frightened face.

"Well it's true!" Candy protested. "Violet, Lord Carrion is heading into war. It's total chaos, the leaders of Day don't know what to do!"

"But," Violet said feeling as if the day wasn't really real after all, but as if she was trapped in some horrible nightmare. "The Day leaders signed a declaration to leave Midnight alone, at least whilst Lord Carrion lives. You persuaded them to do it."

"Yes, but…" Candy stammered.

"Did Lord Carrion send for me?" Violet asked.

There was silence again, the three visitors looked at each other, all hoping one of their number would know what to say.

"We don't work for Lord Carrion," Finnegan said eventually.

Violet looked away to hide her disappointment.

"That's a no then. What are you doing here then?"

"Because you have to come back. Everyone is wondering where you've gone! They all think Lord Carrion sent you away as part of his plan, but he hasn't has he, he doesn't even know where you are!"

"I really don't know why I would want to return, Lord Carrion hardly needs my help, he's got my cousin to order about now. I've done too much to bring about this war, I refuse to do anything to help it any further."

"That's exactly why you have to come back," Candy said gently. "Because you have to stop it."

Violet stared at them as if they were mad. They could all _be _mad for all she knew. Why would she want to start working against Lord Carrion? Yes she had left, but that did not mean she had forgotten her allegiance.

"Violet, there is something else, something important…" Finnegan said into the increasingly anxious atmosphere. "A rumour that could put you in even more danger…"

"Mater Motley already has a bounty on you, but she hasn't really been looking for you, at least, until now…but, if this rumour…" Candy said trailing into silence like Finnegan.

Clearly no one wanted to reveal what this rumour was, as all three looked uncomfortable. Malingo was staring at the floor, and Candy had a flush of red across her face, only Finnegan remained looking at her.

"They are saying you are carrying Carrion's child," he said simply.

Violet had been prepared for all sort of vile lies, but she had not expected this. She felt light-headed instantly, and she leaned against the wall. She couldn't speak. Had Lord Carrion heard this rumour? Her parents?

"If this rumour escapes into Midnight, you will not be safe. Motley will not let you live whilst she thinks you are carrying Carrion's heir. A child would overthrow her rights to rule Midnight, even if she wins this war. She'll want it destroyed, she is ruthless in her ambitions," Finnegan continued.

Violet felt his direct way of speaking to be the most helpful. She needed no more comfort, she was beyond being able to believe it. She wanted the truth, nothing else, kind words could wait.

"Miss, you have to return to Lord Carrion. You cannot stay here, you'll be safer with him. Keep your child safe," Malingo said, his eyes full of genuine concern.

She looked at the other two, Candy full of worry, and Finnegan expressionless. Holly and Gerret were holding each other, staring at her, not knowing what to do with all the people who had crashed through their normal and safe life. They at least knew there was no child.

"If you think this child will stop the war, then you are wrong," Violet said feeling empty. "Because there is no child."

There was silence once again.

"Oh, thank God," Candy said flopping down on the armchair and crossing her legs in a relived way. "Because we have a plan B."


	24. Unwelcome Gylph

**Unwelcome Glyph**

"You have another plan?" Violet asked.

It all seemed surreal, and she was still reeling from the shock of the rumour. She supposed to the outside world it was entirely plausible that they should think she was pregnant, it would explain her going away on the eve of a war.

"Yes, but it's dangerous. You see, Lord Carrion cannot possibly win this war. Not alone at any rate," Finnegan said, he too sat down on the sofa, leaving Malingo and the family standing.

Violet frowned. Carrion must believe that he could win, or he would not try. But if she had to be truthful to herself, she could see the odds were stacked against him. Motley's army was built for battle, Carrion's was running on despair and fear.

"How am supposed to help? He's not going to listen to anything I say," Violet asked, she paced the room slowly, her mind racing.

"You can do magic!" Malingo said excitedly.

Violet froze.

"What?" she snapped. Once again they had stunned her. How had they managed to get her so wrong? Had she fooled the world so well?

"We found something that could help. It wasn't supposed to be for Carrion's aid, but if he fails, I fear we all fail," Finnegan said.

Violet's stunned face prompted him to continue, it clear she was not yet won round to the idea.

"It's a spell, or rather an evoking of spells," he continued.

Violet shot a worried look at Holly and Gerret. They surely must know that she couldn't do magic? Yet they were listening intently also. Why couldn't anyone just understand that she was only a ordinary girl? Her only claim to something special was that Lord Carrion had chosen her above all others for a short time.

"I don't understand why you need me," Violet whispered, but it was only half said, she had a horrible feeling about what was to come next.

"None of us can do this, the magic I mean, it's too powerful," Candy explained.

"And I can?" Violet challenged.

"Finnegan saw you doing magic," Malingo said eagerly.

Again Violet's confused face gave Finnegan the need to explain.

"On the way to the boat, you were going to make me a map of where you would be staying. I stopped you, remember? I had you write it down instead. I thought it might draw too much attention to us."

Violet shook her head. She hadn't been doing magic, she had simply been trying to spell the letters out.

"When Finn told us, we knew our suspicions about you must be true!" Candy said, she was smiling so hopefully that Violet couldn't bear to let her down. She'd taken advantage for this kind trio too often now. Here she was, deceiving them again, although this time not on purpose.

"Why can't Candy do this spell thing? Isn't she supposed to be the princess Boa?"

"The princess could have evoked the spell, but Candy isn't princess Boa. It would be too dangerous for her. Plus, you must have true aim for the power you are asking for, or it will overpower you. Like I said, it is dangerous," Finnegan explained. This time his clear voice sounded strained, and Violet regretted mentioning the princess.

"If I refuse?" Violet asked. She didn't miss the terrified look that flashed over Candy and Malingo's faces, to Finnegan however, the question seemed expected.

"Then Carrion looses, and the Abarat prepares for war," he said solemnly.

"Carrion might win," Violet said meekly.

"He might."

Whether Holly and Gerret believed that she was witch, or not, they were silent. She had only herself to rely on here to make the right decision. But it was already made, from the moment they entered the house. She couldn't remove herself from their world again, it would be too painful. She would do anything to move herself nearer to Lord Carrion, even if he didn't want her, being away from him was proving harder than she thought it would be.

"Ok, I will help you."

Violet's agreement snapped Holly out of her silence.

"Violet what are you saying?" she exclaimed, before taking Violet's arm and guiding her outside.

The garden was wet, it had been raining ever since their visitors had come. They stood in the wet grass, the rain in the air clinging to their hair.

"Do you know magic?" Holly asked bluntly.

"It doesn't matter, I'll do whatever it takes."

Holly touched her forehead as if her head pained her, and closed her eyes for a moment.

"If you mess with magic and spirits, you'll die. He wont thank you for this Violet. You are going to your death over a man who refuses to admit defeat, is he really worth all of this?"

Holly might of asked the question, but she knew it was pointless. Her niece had been suffering ever since she had arrived, and she had found little comfort in their cramped home. As soon as Candy and her friends had walked through the door, she had seen a light in Violet's face, that had been dead before.

"He is not defeated. I know it's hopeless, and he wont ever love me, or even thank me, but I can't do nothing. I love him."

They stood in silence until they felt someone's presence waiting for them in the doorway. It was Candy, the light of the kitchen behind her gave a glow, and Violet wondered why this girl wanted to involve herself in such dangerous matters. Maybe she and Candy were not so different in that respect, they were both swept up in events that they had no control over.

"I almost forgot," Candy said handing over a letter. "This is for you."

Violet accepted it with a jolt of her heart. Was it the news from Carrion she was desperate to receive? Candy and Holly returned to the house leaving Violet to read her letter.

_Violet,_

_Lord Carrion told me not to contact you, but I had to. You've probably seen me on TV by now, but don't worry, I know the danger I could be in, and I chose it. _

_Carrion sends us messages to put into our songs, and he sent us one for you. I didn't understand it at first, because I thought you were still living with him. What happened Vi? Carrion won't tell me anything, even though I ask every time I write to him. He says he doesn't know where you are, but I don't believe him. If you get this letter, please let me know you are ok. My address is at the top. I'm sending this to Yebba, I hope it reaches you._

_You are so famous Vi, everyone is talking about you! _

_Love Elspeth._

_Ps, your message is in the song. He says you might find romance elsewhere, but he wants to see you. (And I put the word romance in, it sounded better.) _

Violet folded the letter and tucked it into her pocket. Find romance, was that a signal to her to stop hoping for him, and look elsewhere for love? At least he wanted to see her, even if he wasn't going to be welcoming her back. She supposed the words had to be fairly vague, they were being sung to everyone in the Abarat after all.

Sighing, Violet returned to the house, only to find it empty, expect for Holly and Gerret sitting on the sofa. Holly's face was streaked with tears, and Gerret looked as if he was sleeping.

"What's going on?" Violet asked.

Out of the shadows stepped a small man, dressed in yellow. Violet recognised him, it was Kasper Wolfswinkle, he had been responsible for her first confinement in the Midnight dungeons. Violet retreated back from him, but she knew it was useless, he wasn't here on his own.

"I knew you would return here girl, I've been watching the house. Someone was bound to come and give you away, thank your three friends for your capture."

Violet was shackled from behind, her wrists forced into metal holds and strained awkwardly. Holly was crying loudly now, but Gerret was silent, they had done something terrible to him, some magic.

Candy and her friends were already chained when Violet was forced into the glyph. They all wore the same stunned expression on their faces, equally as unaware of what was happening as Gerret. It was only when they were directly over Gorgossium that they awoke.

"What's happening?" Candy asked.

"We were caught by Wolfswinkle, he's taking us to Mater Motley," Violet knew her voice sounded dead with defeat. She was going to die now, she knew it. The others might survive if they were lucky.

"Violet, I've changed my theory," Finnegan said. There was an urgency to his voice, as the glyph had now begin it's decent to the tower. "If she asks you if you are pregnant, say yes."

"But you said…"

"The fact that you haven't been killed yet makes me think she wants you for something else. A warrant for you arrest is different from a warrant for your death. If she wants Carrion's child, to make it her own heir, then let her think you are with child. It's all that'll save you now."

Violet's head swam once more, and she felt sick. How was she going to lie to a woman so powerful? She'd be able to tell she wasn't carrying a child, wouldn't she? But then if she could, why bring her here?

"Please trust me Violet," Finnegan begged.

Violet nodded. They were almost there, and she was sick with fear.


	25. The Queen Of Midnight

**A/N:** Thank you to AidansQueen, Chorus girl 24601, Julie and Lady Moon Dragon for your reviews. It's been a while since I updated this, for some reason I just got suckered back onto my old fanfiction account and began updating stories on there. I will finish this fic however, so here's the newest chapter.

**Chapter Twenty Five --- The Queen of Midnight**

Violet stood shivering; she had been robbed of most of her clothes, except the undershirt that barely covered her modesty. A bath was being filled for her, and she was going to be forced to wash, whilst surrounded by these old women. They were here to check her health, so that her 'child' could be deemed as healthy and properly formed.

Their methods were crude, they took her temperature, and her bloods, and were going to force her to scrub herself raw to 'avoid infection'. As a rough hand scratched at her scalp as they washed her hair, Violet couldn't help but let the tears run down her face. She had never felt so humiliated, her body laid bare in front of these old uncaring people.

She wondered where they had taken the others, and whether she would ever see them again. She hoped that they hadn't been hurt; it would be her fault if they had. They'd come to help her after all; they hadn't meant to take danger to her door.

With her hair combed until she could have sworn her scalp was bleeding; Violet was forced out of the bath into a robe.

Her hair was then dried with as much care as it had been washed, being pulled and tugged and the jagged comb ripped though it every now and then for good measure.

They dressed her up then like a queen, with satin and silk, and diamonds. Violet closed her eyes; she didn't care what they did anymore. She even stopped crying for her modesty, she had nothing left to hide, Midnight had taken it all.

Suddenly she was abandoned. She opened her eyes, and the old women were standing in a row by the wall, their heads bowed to the ground. They looked like statues of gargoyles, motionless and grey. Violet stared at them. What was she supposed to do? Eventually she turned to leave the room, wondering if one of them would stop her. On her way, she passed a mirror.

She stared.

They'd made her queen; they'd taken the lie and perverted it even more. Violet stared at herself in the queen's dress; they'd given her a mask of beauty to wear, if she chose to hide that worried frightened look on her face. She touched her fingers to her necklace, underneath them she felt the coolness of the perfect diamonds, five, strung round her neck.

She was a make-believe queen. But she had no king.

"From now on you are the Princess of Midnight," a voice said from behind her.

Violet turned to see a small stitchling, looking up at her with the face of a child. She stared back in silence.

"You are requested to join the Queen," the tiny stitchling informed her. "Your Majesty."

"Don't call me that," Violet whispered.

The stitchling bent down on one knee so that she or it was even closer to the ground.

"But you carry the heir of Midnight, you are Royal," it said in earnest.

Violet felt sick as she followed the tiny creature down the hallway. She marvelled that it trusted her to follow, when it was such a tiny unthreatening thing. Even though her escape could have been made by hurting the stitchling child, and running, she couldn't bring herself to act.

She was led to a room with a desk. There didn't appear to be anything else in the room, but it was dark and she couldn't see into the corners. Out of one of the said corners appeared Mater Motley.

"Hello Violet, it seems you cannot escape Midnight, can you?" Motley said, a crooked smile on her face. "I have something for you to sign."

Violet stood frozen. Why was this woman speaking to her like she was an equal? Had her position in the world really been hauled up this high? Something wasn't right, she had the sense that Motley was only behaving this way to get what she wanted.

The document lay on the table. It had appeared as soon as Motley had spoken of it, it was created through magic. That kind of deed was the worst; they were never destroyed, or broken. If she signed that, it would be forever.

"You surprised me, I thought my grandson would have tired of you by now. You must have more brains than I credited you with, but if you ever use them against me, I'll kill you. Do you understand?"

Violet nodded. She couldn't speak. Her eyes were fixated on the parchment.

"You know why I haven't killed you, don't you Violet?" Motley asked, her voice couldn't naturally contain the kindness, it was strained and the cruelty crept through all too plainly.

"Yes, the baby," Violet whispered.

"That's right," Motley said walking to the table, and picking up a pen. "I want that child. Midnight needs an heir, but Christopher's blood is not enough to make that child legitimate…"

The silence hung sinisterly in the air. Motley handed Violet the pen, which she accepted automatically. She felt she was losing her own freewill, her head was swimming, and all she could concentrate on was Motley's words. Her own arguments and cautions were disappearing.

"You need to be Queen on Midnight. Signing your name makes you my grandson's bride."

Violet frightened herself by stepping forwards and leaning over the page. What was she doing? She couldn't bind herself to Lord Carrion without him being any part of it. But the urge to sign was overwhelming.

"But, doesn't Lord Carrion have to be here?" Violet asked in a pathetically small voice.

"No, in his absence from the crown, this power belongs to me," Motley said firmly.

The girl was holding out well to her magicks, her mind was strong, but she would give in eventually. She could see Violet's conflict in her eyes, she was fighting to organise her thoughts and remember why she shouldn't sign.

Eventually the pen touched the paper, and Violet signed her name. There was a pause where Violet felt pleased with herself, then the fog on her mind cleared and she saw the world with unbearable clarity.

"All hail the Queen," Motley said cruelly. "Take her away."

Violet barely had enough time to recover from what she had done, before she was being dragged away. The tiny stitchling was following her closely, and something about the small creature's presence calmed her. She wouldn't scream and make a fuss, there wasn't much point after all; no one was going to save her.

"Here you are your majesty," the large stitchling said, shoving her roughly into the room and slamming the door in her face.

It took only a second before she realised that she wasn't alone in the room. She turned around nervously, frightened about what she might see.

"No freaking way," Violet whispered as she recognised the figure in the room.


	26. Motley Taunts her Enemies

Thank you for the reviews everyone! Apologies for the all the cliff hangers.

**Chapter Twenty Six -- Motley Taunts her Enemies**

Letheo stared at her with a cocky grin; in his hand he was holding a key. Violet stared at him before she spoke, she wasn't quiet sure if was real or just a figment of her imagination. He wasn't the person she wanted to see, but in the circumstances she'd take whatever she could get.

"How did you know I was here?" Violet asked astounded, she had believed herself lost.

"I've been tracking Candy Quackenbush for my master, it just so happened that she led me straight to you," he answered truthfully.

Violet was glad that he was answering her questions, she didn't think she could stand it if he started playing games with her, and tried to score points for himself.

"Were you looking for me?"

"In a round-a-bout way, yes," he said studying his key. "Lord Carrion was extremely angry after you left, and was taking it out on me, so I was trying to find you yes…to take some of the flack."

He smiled.

"Is he still angry?" Violet asked nervously. If he was, she didn't think she had the nerve to see him again, and especially not with the news she would have to deliver, that they were now married.

Letheo shrugged.

"I don't think he will be best pleased with the latest events… but you could always relinquish your crown…" he suggested.

Violet nodded.

"Yes, I'll do that," she said solemnly.

"By killing yourself," Letheo added still smiling to himself.

"What?"

"I'll help you," he offered.

Violet felt herself growing angry, was he here to help her or not? If he wasn't then he could leave straight away, she'd find another means of escape if she had to.

"Calm down," he said sighing, and disappointed that she hadn't liked his jokes. "I'm going to free your friends, you should be pleased."

Violet frowned.

"And what about me?" she asked.

"What about you?"

"Aren't you going to free me too?"

Letheo shook his head.

"Motley hasn't finished with you yet, she has more plans. But I will try, afterwards, if you are still alive that is," he said grinning again and hopping from one foot to the to the other in his glee. He liked making her worry.

Violet shook her head; she'd had enough of his games.

"I don't believe you," she said. "How could you know all this?"

Letheo laughed, enjoying himself too much.

"The tiny stitchling works for Lord Carrion," he said gleefully, "I know all the plans… for you, and the baby…"

"Damn it Letheo, you know there is no baby!" she shouted losing her temper.

"Do I?" he challenged. "How should I know? I've watched you with my master, and I don't like it," he said accusingly pointing his finger in her face.

She slapped her hand away hard making him recoil.

"Show some respect beast-boy, I outrank you now," she said standing to her full height.

He faltered in his teasing. She was right, she did outrank him being the Queen of Midnight, and he only a servant. He hopped from one foot to the other in nervousness now.

"Forgive me your majesty," he said sarcastically, bowing before her. "I shall liberate your friends, I dare not risk escaping with you yet, too many eyes watching… I shall return after Motley has finished with you."

This hardly offered Violet any comfort, and she doubted whether he would return, but she had little alternative. She watched him leave, knowing that if he was telling her the truth, then the only one that would treat her with any kindness now was the tiny stitchling child.

Letheo didn't return that day, or the day following, and Violet began to wonder whether he had been telling the truth about Motley still watching her after all. She had seen no one since he'd left, except for the stitchling child, who brought her food, and helped her with her new and elaborate clothing.

Today she was being forced to wear some vile monstrosity of a dress, which had an enormous collar, which stood up like a fan behind her head. It was the by far the most uncomfortable dress, and the collar was heavy and dragged her shoulders down, giving her a headache. But she refused to complain, she knew it could be a lot worse. She could be dead for a start.

Something was happening today, they were taking too much care over her appearance. The tiny stitchling was fussing with her dress, and the old women who she had met before, were yanking her hair this way and that into doll-like ringlets. Violet was past caring how they made her look. But something about today was making her nervous.

"What's happening?" she whispered to the stitchling child.

"Mater Motley presents you to the public today," the child answered. "To hail you as the princess of Midnight."

"Why?" Violet asked. It hardly made any sense, any of this.

"To call Lord Carrion out. She wants the fight now, on her terms. She thinks he'll come forward to claim you back."

"That's insane," Violet snapped. "This whole place in insane. When can I get out of here?"

"You must be patient," the child said patting her hand. "He will come for you."

Violet wasn't sure if she meant Lord Carrion or Letheo, but either way the chances of either of them rescuing her were pretty slim. She wondered whether Letheo had freed Candy and her friends, or if he had been lying. But it was too late for any more thoughts, as she was being summoned.

The roar of the crowd made Violet feel faint. She had no idea what was expected of her. They had made her into the image of Midnight, covered in black satin and lace. Her eyes darkened and rimmed with coal on a deathly pale face. She was a child's nightmare, a perfect dolls face surrounded by deep dark black.

The stitchling child held her hand as they stood on the balcony, high above the subjects of Midnight. They cheered for her as their new princess, because they were afraid to do otherwise. Many recognising her from the papers, from when she had been an ordinary girl, a maiden from Midnight, somebody ordinary like them. She wasn't ordinary anymore. She had been their last hope for Midnight, now she was captured and changed.

"Don't leave me," she whispered squeezing the child's hand. "I'm frightened."

"Don't be scared princess, you have many friends."

Violet doubted this.

"People of Midnight, the time has come to chose your side. Against me you will fail, together this hour will rise up and take it's true place within the Abarat. I call you out enemy," Motley shouted, she turned and took hold of Violet's arm dragging her into the front. "Collect your princess of lies!"

Motley's hand struck Violet hard across her face without warning, sending her reeling to the edge of the balcony and clinging to the edge. Her face was stinging so hard that she was almost blinded by the pain. She touched her hand to her face, and saw that it was red with her own blood. Looking down she saw that the crowd had stopped cheering, and were staring upwards with a mixture of fear and hatred. She could see a mixture of expressions, and could identify clearly those that would help her, and those that would not.

Some began to jeer, they were Motley's supporters, they wanted Violet dead, others wore a look of outrage and fear. Violet looked up at the large screen amongst the crowd, Pixler's invention, it had televised Motely's broadcast, and she could see her own bleeding face now reflected.

Someone grabbed her from behind, a large man who leered down at her with broken and missing teeth. Violet screamed.

"Your time is over Christopher," Motley shouted. "I'm winning, I will win. Midnight belongs to me!"

"No," Violet screamed fighting the man away. "Get off!"

He was bigger than her, stronger, and her protests were feeble against him. She couldn't free herself; she was in his power.

"Did you think that I was stupid?" Motley hissed in her face. "That I didn't know? He'll come after you now, he won't be able to refuse after such a public humiliation."

Violet gasped as the collar was ripped from her dress. She was helpless, and the world knew it.

"Lock her up, let her starve. If you're lucky, he might free you before he dies."

They locked her in a small room, with only room to move a foot from side to side. There were no windows and no light, and sound couldn't reach her. The silence was deafening. The panic of being trapped only lasted a few minutes until her heart could no longer pound at such a rate and she leant against the wall defeated. She allowed tears to fall down her face and didn't nothing to stop them. She couldn't believe that it was the end. That she should die in such a slow and painful way, on her own, and in the dark.


	27. War Begins

**A/N:** Thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter. Sorry for the long delay, I just have essays coming out of my ears at the moment! It's making me stressed, so I decided to take a break and update. Hope you like!

**War Begins**

Lord Carrion was waiting in the makeshift camp that had been built on the edge of the island of Hobarookus. It was raining, and the people outside were as gloomy as the sky was grey. The fires they had been carefully tending all day were being smothered in the downpour. Hiding under their rough shelters, they were being forced to wait out the storm. The surrounding neighbourhood had done all it could to welcome the invasion, but it was a poor area with little to share.

The miners of Midnight had at last joined with Lord Carrion, awaiting the enviable battle that would soon take place on Midnight for control of the hour. With every passing moment more soldiers arrived, mostly honest decent people, who had been abused and treated cruelly under Motley's short reign. Carrion had been surprised to see not only men, but also women amongst his following. Donned in battle armour, ready to fight along side their brothers. Many had sons, brothers, and fathers that had been incarcerated in Gorgossium dungeons, or murdered in the name of progress.

The pirate population of the island of Hobarookus had been loathed to choose a side, but had to admit that life had been easier when Carrion had ruled. Motley demanded a tax on the crooked earnings they made, and she had ways of collecting. Carrion had never been intrested in them as long as they never crossed his path, and it was better the devil you knew, than the one you didnt. They reluctantly prepared their ships for war.

As the rain pelted the top of the canvas structure, Carrion let the sound draw his thoughts away. He was waiting for Letheo, who he had sent to Gorgossium to spy. He would be back any moment. He ignored the steady chatter of his companions, sitting near the fire, playing cards.

"I hope that she is OK," a girl said as she placed a card down on the table. "I wish I could help."

Carrion's thoughts were interrupted by the girl's words, and he turned to look at her, and his gaze caught on her pink hair. Elspeth had proved to be valuably useful, and as the time progressed, had become less childish, and more serious. When she looked at him now, he still saw those wide eyes of innocence, but now there was a older more experienced shadow behind them. She knew far more than she should for a girl of her age, and Carrion was aware that this was partially his fault. The removal of her cousin had thrown her into an adult world, and she had adjusted as well as could be expected.

A sound of a distant humming reached his ears, and a large beast with wings like a fly touched down in the centre of the camp. Letheo climbed down from the creature's back and rewarded it with the large cooked carcase that it had been promised, in return for his flight. Carrion watched the creature crunching the bones of it's roasted fellow beast as he waited for Letheo to reach him.

"My Lord, I have seen her," he said dropping down onto one knee before his master.

"Come inside," Carrion offered, holding back the flap of canvas serving as a door.

All eyes turned on Letheo as the boy wondered where to start with his report. He had seen more than he had expected.

"Candy Quackenbush and her friends, the geshrat and Finnegan Hobb are now prisoners of your grandmother. They were discovered in the same residence on Idjit as your spy Violet. They would not tell me what they were doing there, but it seems unlikely that Motley was looking for them. She had been keeping a lookout on the house."

Carrion nodded, of course Violet would have returned to her aunt and uncle, she had nowhere else to go. But it had been a foolish place to hide. He had known that Violet had been captured; his grandmother had broadcasted the news across the Abarat, with a little help from her slimy friend Pixler.

He had refused to give that much thought. Violet now being his bride seemed totally irrelevant to the situation, which he had to wonder what his Grandmother was about. Surely she had not been taken in by the wild rumours that Violet was carrying his child? She was smarter than that. Plus, if they should both die in this battle, they left Midnight in the hands of a girl who neither wanted to be Queen, nor would very likely stay Queen. Someone would take the crown from her, along with her head.

For Violet there was little he could do, if he sent Letheo back to rescue her, her disappearance would be noticed, and it would signal a start to a battle he wasn't yet ready for. He needed more time for his troops to gather, but he knew that her life hung in the balance the further he delayed.

Motley had created her rival Queen to draw him out of hiding, and to cause his followers to question why he did not go to save her. Disaffection in his camp might ensue if he was seen not to act. But what concerned him most, was that having given him a bride, Motley was perfectly capable of destroying her too, most likely with an axe.

"We must move on Midnight," Carrion said after a long pause. "The war must begin."

* * *

Violet slumped down, but the space was too small for her to do so comfortably. She had seen a public execution before, and had always been terrified of such a death. Now, it seemed the preferable option. If she had to die, it might as well be quick and instant. Anything was better than starving to death in a dark hole, with no one to talk to and only foul air to breathe. She was in no doubt; she had been left here to die.

As her thoughts ran into despair, she had no idea that miles away she was the cause of an army moving across the sea. That she was in the mind of a most powerful man, bent on the destruction of her gaoler. Nor was she aware of the nearing footsteps of friends.

"Is it this way?" Candy whispered. In her hands she held tightly a broken broom handle, ready to defend herself at any moment. "This place gives me the creeps."

"Steady, don't panic," Finnegan warned, knowing that Candy's bravado was only to hide the fact that she was scared.

Malingo was only slightly less jumpy, holding onto the other half of the broom as if it might save his life. They were all aware that should they cross paths with some guards, they wouldn't win the fight. But it was mysteriously empty, as if this part of the tower had been abandoned. Candy supposed there was little point in continuing to run this half if it's Lord was missing.

"Here," Finnegan said halting their progress. "The library."

Candy allowed herself a shaky breath as they pushed the door open. It was empty, with only the light of the moon outside illuminating them. The shared a relieved look and went inside.

"How come you knew where to go?" Malingo asked studying some books.

"Nevermind. Let's just find what we're looking for," he replied ignoring their question. The last time he had been here, it had been with Princess Boa. He looked sideways at Candy, clearly she did not share thoughts with the princess, or she would know. He wished he could see into Candy's heart and speak to Boa, but he would not think that way. Candy clearly had little control over when Boa spoke to her, for if she did, Finnegan was certain Candy would have told him and stepped aside for a moment.

Malingo quickly scanned along the bottom row of books, before finding the section he wanted. Without warning he lept up and began scaling the bookshelf. Candy gasped, worried he might fall, but when he returned with the book in his hand, she had a new fear. This was beyond anything they had been prepared to try before.

"Do you think she can handle this? It's dark magic after all."

Finnegan didn't reply, and Finnegan just stared at the cover. The offer they had made to Violet about the spell they knew was nothing compared to this.


	28. Into the Fire

**A/N: **I wrote all of this tonight, so I hope it makes sense! Thank you all for the reviews and support, it means so much to hear from you. Enjoy!

**Chapter Twenty Eight**

_**Into the Fire.**_

Violet turned her head against the bright light that filled her dark tomb, scrunching up her eyes she tried to understand what had happened, but the more she tried to use her over exhausted brain, the more she felt unwell and dizzy. She knew that somewhere inside of her, she had been preparing to die. She had accepted it, and had made her peace. No amount of scratching at the walls with now bloody fingers could free her. At first she could not believe that this should be her destiny, buried alive, left to starve and rot in forgotten silence, but then reality won. There had been no way out… until now.

Suddenly she felt as if she had been a second chance. Someone had taken pity, not agreeing that it was her time to depart from life, and had let her go. A wave of fresh cool air touched her face, causing her to shiver, and at last she opened her eyes. Three faces stared down at her, and one offered their hand. Shakily she reached up to accept it. It fit well in hers, small, kindly and strong. Other hands reached down to touch her, and together they lifted her free, back up onto shaking legs and away from her prison.

Violet leant against the wall. Her dress was sodden with sweat, and the smell of her own fear made her feel sick. Without thinking she began to pull at the dress, ripping it to shreds, piece by piece it came away in her hands. Someone was telling her to stop, but through the tears and hysterics she couldn't obey them. The vile dress must be destroyed; she couldn't bare it another minute.

"Candy calm her down, someone is going to hear," Finnegan said, racing to the door and looking through the keyhole. The corridor was still thankfully empty, but that didn't mean that they were safe.

"Violet," Candy said snatching Violet's hands and forcing her to stay still. "Please, if they find us here we'll all die."

Violet saw the fear in Candy's eyes and knew that it was something like her own. She looked past her to her equally shaken friends and then down at the pieces of satin and silk on the ground. Her dress was nothing more than the under corset and the final layer of the full skirt, ripped at the bottom so that it now only scraped past her knees.

"I thought I was dead," Violet whispered, eyes now drawn to the darkness she had been trapped in. Candy looked at Malingo and he closed the door so that Violet could no longer see where she had been held captive.

"Have they hurt you?" Candy asked, looking over the girl for any traces of blood or heavy bruising on her limbs.

Violet shook her head.

"Finnegan is anyone out there?" Malingo asked. Finnegan shook his head but kept his eye firmly on the look out. "Candy, maybe you should explain…" he said handing the book over.

Violet watched the book with a growing feeling of dread. She knew that she was nowhere near being free just yet, she might have gotten out of the frying pan, but she was now in the fire. She hadn't given another thought to the promise she had made about casting their magic, almost dying could certainly drive a few things from a girl's mind.

"We had to use the spell to get out of the dungeons, and to find this book and you. But I guess it was one of those one time only spells, because the paper it was on burnt up…" Candy explained. The dull look in Violet's eyes told her to hurry, she had the feeling that Violet couldn't care less about the why's and when's, she just wanted to know what was coming next. "I guess that's what you get when you buy from the black market…"

Once again Candy trailed into silence. She was stalling because she didn't know how she was going to tell this girl, who had just recently become Christopher Carrion's bride, that she'd have to travel down a much more dangerous road than first thought.

"Candy some time today…" Finnegan prompted.

Violet's eyes drifted over to the red haired man at the door, and stayed there even though Candy continued to explain.

"The magic chose this book, and the new spell we need in on this page," she said opening the book. "I cast the other spell because it was do or die, but I know that I'm unable to do this one. Even if my life depended on it, I couldn't. You'll have to do it… but it's dangerous…"

Violet could have laughed. The chances of her actually casting magic of the kind that was in the book, was even less likely than her doing the previous spell. At least Candy had the princess Boa to help her, Violet had nothing. She had never even studied magic. She'd seen it done only a few times, but had never felt the need to look too closely. But then, there was little choice. She'd agreed to try after all.

"What have I got to loose?" Violet asked with sincere sadness.

"You're a princess now, that's something more than most," Malingo pointed out.

"More reason for me to do it then."

If the dark prison had not killed her, then this spell surely would. But since Violet had convinced herself that she was going to die in that hole, she considered herself living on borrowed time right now. It was partially her fault that so many people out there were about to die, she'd given Carrion the weapons he had needed to stage a war, the least she could do was try to make it a fair fight.

"Tell me what you want me to do."

Finnegan straightened up from his position at the door, and fixed Violet with a disbelieving stare. Candy might think that she was an honest person, but as far as he was concerned she was so mixed up with Carrion, that in his eyes she could never be trusted.

He wondered how this girl was going to fare in the game where her stakes had just been raised. From mistress to wife orchestrated by a crazy old woman who had lost her grip on reality. There was a safety as mistress, being simply a distraction from life; she could walk away at any time, now she was trapped.

Trapped on Midnight, like Boa nearly was. He had kept his thoughts to himself whilst walking the eerie halls, but he could still remember every turn and every picture on the walls, because he'd never be able to forget. It was supposed to have been a celebration of the islands, a tour for the rich and famous to travel through every hour, being entertained wherever they set foot.

He remembered how excited Boa had been to be invited, being young and unable to dream of danger. Allowed to go simply because her brother would be there also. Finnegan had accepted the invitation only because she had pressed him to, having no desire himself to see the insides of large and expensive houses, one after the other.

Of course, it was the final island to visit, the island of Midnight.

Everyone was excited but him. They had not expected to be invited, but the prospect of seeing Gorgossium, which was so shrouded in mystery was too great to turn down. It was here that all of Princess Boa's troubles began. When the party had come to an end, Carrion had not wanted to let her go.

"I don't care," Violet declared, feeling the fight in her beginning to surface. "How could I face the rest of my life if I didn't try? I'll forever live with a man that despises me, because I did nothing but hide whilst the people of Midnight suffer… It would be better if I die…"

"Don't say that," Candy begged in a small voice.

"Why not? It's true."

Finnegan could feel the poignant sadness in the scene; they were like figures in a tragic play, and Violet the most tragic of all. He felt sorry that this was happening to her, but could not ignore the fact that she had walked into this herself. She could have done a better job of disappearing, and hiding. In the end she couldn't walk away, and this was the penalty.

"Well, no time like the present. The lack of guards tells me that Motley's plan worked. Carrion has begun the war. They have moved to the front line."

Violet felt her heart skip a beat. Whilst she had been wishing that someone would save her, Carrion had moved his army in order to try. She knew he couldn't have been fully prepared; there hadn't been enough time. He was taking on even greater odds because Motley had tied her into his honour, and they had both been damaged.

"We have to hurry."

Walking through the hallways, Violet followed Finnegan until she began to recognise where she was. Taking the lead instead, she peered down one of the secret passages that led out into the gardens. There was no way of knowing if they'd meet anyone along the way, but the only way to know was to take the corridor. The benefit of taking the shortcut outweighed the risk, and they followed Violet.

Taking a deep breath of what she expected to be clean cold outside air, Violet instead received a burning mouthful of ash. Looking up at the sky, she saw that the stars were blotted out with trails of smoke, and the red haze that usually clung to the forests was creeping inwards as if in the search of blood.

A bird screeched overhead, excited about the prospect of freshly slain carnage, its war cry piercing and painful. Violet held her breath in shock and prayed hard to whatever God was listening to make this spell work.

Candy coughed, deep from her stomach, half retching and doubling forwards was they hurried across the grass. The smell of the smoke was thick and wasn't from burning wood. They tried not to think about what it could be as they walked. No one had spoken it, but they all seemed to have decided that the forest was the safest place to evoke dark magic.

The forest was devoid or life, even the crows had taken to hiding. But the gallows remained, as if in a reminder that the likelihood of Violet walking back out of this wood was slim.

"OK," Violet said choosing a natural clearing to sit down in. "What do I do?"

Candy gave a sideways glance to Finnegan. They had been hoping that Violet wouldn't need any further help now. She wasn't too proud to admit that whilst Violet had decided that she needed to do this, she wasn't so willing to die for this cause. If that made her a coward then she'd hold her hands up.

"You have to call the magic… but first you have to make a…" Candy paused, then whispered, "sacrifice."

"What does that mean?" Violet asked.

"It usually means blood," Malingo said calling on his past experiences of magic, being kept as a slave by an insane wizard. The majority of the time it was blood the magic wanted, and it had usually turned out to be his rather than his masters.

"My own?"

"Probably," Candy replied.

"You don't know?" Violet exclaimed. "How am I meant to know what to do? I can't cut myself, I just can't."

"I'll do it," Finnegan offered, taking the buckle from his belt and stepping forward.

At first Candy thought he was offering himself in Violet's place, but Violet hadn't misunderstood.

"Get away from me!" she screamed. "Put that on the floor and get away."

Finnegan faltered. She wasn't as meek and helpless as she appeared. She was fighting with her back against the wall at the moment, and with the book of magic in her hands, she was as dangerous as a caged animal that had just tasted blood for the first time. He hoped that Candy had been right; otherwise they were about to hand over the tools to take over the Abarat to another nutcase.

Candy, Malingo and Finnegan stepped back and Violet took the buckle. With the book open at the correct page she turned the buckle so that the edge was facing her.

_Well, here goes nothing…_

Bringing the metal down hard on the side of her exposed leg, Violet began to speak the nonsense words on the page and waited for something to happen.


	29. I Ran Through The Fire

**A/N: **I updated This Midnight the other day, so I thought it only right that I spend some time on this fic too. Thank you to everyone that reviewed and read the last chapter. Sorry for the long wait…again.

**I Ran Through the Fire**

Violet felt a pain begin from her toes, running up her legs, into her abdomen and beyond. Her heart strained to beat fast enough, desperately pushing through her veins the adrenaline that her body needed in order to survive. Breaking out into a cold sweat as she realised that she could do nothing to reverse what she had done.

Screaming she dropped to her knees and clutched at her head. Her fingers dug into her scalp and she tore at her hair. Nothing she could do to herself could stop the agony. All thoughts stopped and all she could concentrate on was the excruciating plain. She had experienced some horrible things since her adventure had begun, but nothing compared to this.

Despair filled her and it became difficult to breath, like sucking in hot ash. She was an idiot for messing with things she knew nothing about. Naively she had assumed that she had nothing to lose, but now that she was losing her life she realised how stupid she had been to throw it away for a man who didn't care. It wasn't a place to save him. Just as it was no one's duty to save her, she knew no one would save her now.

Just as she thought she was about to explode and that she would choke on her own screams, bright dots exploded in front of her eyes and then she disappeared into darkness.

But the peace didn't last long for her. As her eyes opened, filled with tears and bloodshot, so the pain returned. Rolling onto her back she grimaced and tried to hold back her cries. Shaking uncontrollably she whimpered as her skin began splitting, cracking like lightning strikes across the surface.

In shock she held her arms up above her and saw that they were soaked in blood. Her face felt on fire as the blood poured from her. It was getting into her eyes, blurring her vision eve further. Rolling onto her side, disturbing her bloody torn skin with a feeling of rolling onto broken glass, she tried to vomit. However her empty stomach had nothing in which to relieve itself with, and the straining feeling made her dizzy.

Looking up into the surrounding trees she tried to make her eyes focus. She was loosing a lot of blood now and she could almost feel her life slipping away. Shivering she strained her ears to hear what was designed to finally take her life. A scuttling noise through the trees made her panic. She feared the arrival of this noise more than the pain she was already experiencing. What was coming for her now was evil.

Somewhere deep inside her she felt something's presence. She didn't know what it was; she just knew that it was there. She wasn't alone in her own mind. It was the spell and the magic she had tried to invoke. She could feel it talking to her. It's voice was like silk on silk. It told her that she would die for her daring.

She knew what was coming for her. Tiny flesh eating bugs wove their way through the trees, in search of her blood. They would tear her apart with their little teeth. It would not be a quick death. As the noise grew, the faster her heart beat, until she felt something different. Time was ticking out for her, but something was changing within her.

Opening her eyes, Violet blinked away her tears and the blood. The salt water stung her broken skin, but it rather than cause her more pain it seemed to fuel the change in her.

"Stop," she ordered in a whisper.

As if the pain faltered at her order, there was brief second when she felt nothing.

"Stop!" she screamed towards the noise in the trees.

A heavy pressure pressed down upon her, threatening to crush her under its invisible weight, as the world changed. Then, it was gone. The scuttling through the trees had stopped and there was silence. Violet slumped onto her back and closed her eyes.

Candy had been forced to the ground by Finnegan Hob, held down so that she could no longer see the other girl. She had fought against him, desperate to help Violet, but he was too strong. The screaming that she had been forced to listen to, was like nothing she had ever heard before in her life. She could almost feel the other girl's pain. Crying into the ground she pressed her face hard into the grit beneath her to remind herself that this was real.

Struggling to stand she stumbled as she saw what was left of Violet. Barely recognisable in a sea of blood, Violet lay in the clearing unmoving. Turning, Candy couldn't stop her body heaving at the sight of the wreaked body. Clinging to Finnegan she tried to process what she saw before her.

All of a sudden she began to scream.

"She's dead!" she yelled. "We've killed her!"

Finnegan tried to pull her away from the sight, but Candy couldn't be controlled. Distraught she wailed against him and her legs failed her. She dropped down besides Malingo.

"What have we done?" Malingo whispered, his eyes staring, no longer seeing anything. He had known deep down that this spell could never work, but he had allowed himself to hope. He foolishly went along with the plan, wishing for a miracle.

They had been too reckless with this girl's life. She had done nothing but suffer since they had met her and now they were responsible for her death.

Carefully Finnegan stepped forward. He was the only one still on his feet. He had seen too many dead creatures to react like the others. But he had never seen anything like this. He had always avoided magic and now he had the vindication for his decision. He had never understood why his princess Boa had been so interested in magic. It was clearly evil. Just like Christopher Carrion, he'd spent his whole life furiously studying this evil, just like his grandmother. This was all Carrion's fault.

He had marked this girl for death the moment he plucked her from the masses.

"Don't touch her!" Candy screamed hysterically.

"We can't just leave her here! There are evil things in this forest. She doesn't deserve…" Finnegan couldn't continue, his voice dried and stuck to back of his throat.

Candy covered her face in her hands and bent double over her knees. Malingo hadn't moved, she didn't even know if he was even breathing.

Finnegan tried to look at Violet's face, but it was so mangled that he couldn't recognise her beneath the blood. Crouching down beside her, he leant over to listen for her breathing. Her tattered dress was tight over her chest and he could see no movement. Not even a shallow breath.

Blood splattered into his face as Violet coughed without warning. Finnegan yelled in shock, causing Candy to scream.

The fact that Violet was still alive, caused Finnegan more distress than the thought of her dead. That she should still be suffering even now. He couldn't see how she could survive this. It would be kinder for them to drive a knife into her heart in mercy.

Violet suddenly became aware of herself lying upon the ground. There was a sharp stinging feeling all over her skin and she felt light-headed. Her lungs were struggling to fill with air. A cough managed to clear the way, despite causing her agony.

The stinging on her skin was almost buzzing. She felt hot and restless. Twitching her fingers as if surprised to find them still attached, she opened her eyes to find three people staring down at her.

"This isn't possible," Candy murmured. "She was dead."

"It must have worked," Finnegan said. "The spell must have worked. Look, she has healed herself."

Violet sat up, only to have the world spin before her. She felt two pairs of strong hands take both her arms. Together Finnegan and Malingo hauled her to her feet. Leaning against Malingo she realised with a start that she was no longer in pain. Looking down at her arms she found them intact and free from any signs of the torture she had had to endure.

Something else had changed too. The voice she had felt inside of her before, was no longer working against her. This time it was bowing before her. She was the master of the magic now.

"We're so sorry Violet," Candy whispered. She knew that nothing she could say would make up for what had just happened.

"I ran into the fire," Violet said. She didn't even know what she'd said. The words came out of her before she could think. She knew now that the pain had been an exchange. She had to suffer.

She also knew that she had this power on loan, and it hadn't come alone. The voice wasn't going to stay obedient forever.

"So it worked?" Malingo asked nervously. "You're OK?"

"Yes," Violet replied simply. They didn't need to know the truth. "We need to get to the battlefield."


	30. Final Chapter

**A/N:** Wow, thirty chapters! Ok, it's only taken me like years to complete this fic, not bad huh? Ok, so this is the last chapter. Thank you to everyone that read and reviewed this fic, I would have given up long ago if it hadn't been for you all. Thank you!

**When War Comsumes Us**

**Chapter Thirty**

There was blood running in rivers through the muddy fields surrounding Gorgossium. Candy tried not to look at where her feet were going, sinking into the mud and worse. Instead she kept her gaze towards the horizon. The red mist that usually surrounded Midnight had turned a darker shade with the smoke that bellowed from the ransacked buildings.

The rebellion had made its way into the city walls, pushing Motley's Stitchlings back towards the towers. However their progress had come at a price. Bodies lined their walk through the outskirts of the city, along with debris and what looked like smouldering branches of fallen trees. In the distance screaming and yelling could be heard, growing louder with every step.

Candy continued to keep her gaze high, but it didn't stop the sickening images from creeping in from the sides. She shot a glance at Malingo and saw a pained look across his features. They were not a pair for war times, not like Quiffin. He was striding along with Violet, leading the way into the chaos.

Violet walked like a woman possessed, her eyes staring unblinking forward, her stride never faltering. Candy had taken it for granted that they were meant to be following her, but with every passing moment she was losing her nerve. Violet had not spoken to them since they had left the forest, but had walked with a purpose onto the battlefield.

"What are we going to do when we get to the fight?" Candy asked nervously. She was beginning to find the pace a little too fast for her liking, as they were soon going to happen upon the source of the smoke and blood.

"Violet is going to find Carrion," Malingo replied as if it was a fact.

"Yes, but what are _we_ going to do? We're not exactly inconspicuous. We'll be attacked," Candy said, dropping her gaze to look around. Her stomach lurched as she met the glassy lifeless eyes of a nearby corpse. "Oh God," she gasped.

Finnegan deviated from the trail and bent down to retrieve something from the ground. Returning, he handed a bloody sword to Candy, then turn to look for something else.

"I guess we have to fight then," Malingo said in a whisper. A sickening feeling was rising in his stomach, at the realisation that he might have to kill someone in order to survive.

Whilst Candy had already considered the possibility of having to defend herself, and had already made up her mind to use the sword if it came down to it; there was something else concerning her. She had struggled too long to be defeated now, but despite her long journey, she could still say that she knew herself. She didn't think she could say the same for Violet.

Candy didn't recognise the girl walking before her. If they hadn't killed Violet in body, then they had destroyed her mind. Never had she blanched at the bodies scattered at her feet, nor had flinched at the screams. The Violet Candy knew would have tears for the fallen. As they turned into the built up city centre, Candy knew that they had committed a horrendous crime against this girl.

They reached the main square of the city without encountering anyone dangerous, and Violet stopped walking. Candy had the sense that Violet was somehow keeping the fighting away from them, like polar opposites of magnets; the enemy were compelled to turn the other way.

Across the square was a small gathering of people, looking at some kind of map. Two of the group Candy recognised immediately, a man she had outrun many times, Otto Houlihan stared at her with beetle-dark eyes. His forehead creased as he frowned, seizing her small stature against his own. Candy took a step to the side to shake off his fierce gaze, but in doing so caught sight of Violet's face. She was smiling such a pure smile of joy, that it made Candy sick, knowing whom it was directed at.

Christopher Carrion looked far removed from his usual neat appearance. His clothes always clean and pressed were travel stained, tattered and his right leg was bandaged with a bloody rag. Covered in dirt and blood, Candy would still have pointed him out amongst a crowd, standing straight and tall, a true Commander of his army.

He gazed at Violet as if he was seeing a mirage, and for the first time, Candy saw some kind of emotion in his eyes. A softer expression, almost relief; there was no hatred in his eyes for the girl that had given him all she could give.

Violet was already walking towards him before anyone could say a word. Although Carrion didn't move, it was if he drew her nearer by simply watching her, as she walked in a dreamlike state.

Candy felt Malingo take a sharp intake of breath and realised that she was holding her own in fear of what would happen next. Violet's hands reached up slowly to touch Carrion's face in a loving embrace, as if to bring him in close to her. But before her fingers could graze his skin, his own hands snatched her wrists with lightning speed. Immediately Violet tried to pull her arms away, but only succeeded in being shaken violently for a moment. As if the sudden movement had broken her concentration, Candy felt Violet's spell break and the war spilled out into their quiet town-square.

The time for watching Carrion and Violet was over, as everyone sprung into action, wielding blades against the snarling Stitchlings that ran towards them.

Violet felt her heart miss a beat as Carrion pulled her out of the fight, and down into the dark alley behind the Square. He threw her roughly against the wall of a house, and pressed in close to her. Her body felt soft to him, and to his surprise she yielded and didn't struggle. He watched her eyes glaze over with desire, and heard her breath come in a frustrated sigh. Feeling light-headed, Violet held on tightly, his breath hot on her neck, sending shivers down her. Unable to get enough air in her lungs, she was reduced to gasping as he kissed her, his hands running across her stomach.

Opening her eyes to meet with dizzying images as the world swirled before her, she arched her back to meet him, only to be pushed into the wall once more. Unable to stop what was happening, and confused as to why, the frightening knowledge only came when she realised how her body was reacting to him. Her previous drunken desire for the Prince of Midnight seemed a silly girl's dreams, compared to the gasping reality of being ravished in a dark alley.

Her hands followed his lead, trailing over his chest, feeling the contrast of a man's strong body, to her own soft skin.

With the violence of the kisses Violet was not surprised with the way he left her, pulling back suddenly and staring at her with dark eyes, accusingly, as if he believed he had been bewitched. His gaze ran the length of her body, unashamedly lingering in places that made Violet blush.

"What have you done?" he demanded, his voice low.

Violet shuddered. She hadn't been ready for his attentions to end, and she felt as if she were burning against the cold night air. Slowly the sounds of fighting drifted towards her, and she remembered where she was. As if a haze had lifted from her eyes, she forgot her new power and trembled before a man whom she had always feared.

"We invoked some magic," Violet said shakily.

"To entrap me!" Carrion accused pointing his shaking finger at her. Violet couldn't look away from his eyes; she could see the desire of a man in them, and for a moment she knew she could hold a secret power over him.

"No, to make me strong, so that I could help you," Violet said. "You need me."

"I want you," Carrion said closing the gap between them once more. "You have entrapped me."

Stumbling into an empty house, Violet pulled him with her as she crossed the room. She forgot about those that had brought her here, and had helped her find the strength to be the Queen of Midnight. She forgot her fear of the Prince of Midnight.

Although the title, _Queen_, had been foisted upon her in unfortunate circumstances, Violet was going to hold on tight to whatever life decided to give her. Motley had never expected her to live long enough to enjoy it, locking her away to die in a dark prison. But she'd paved the way for this moment.

Violet knew that whatever it was that brought them together now, whether Carrion was bewitched by her magic, or if he truly desired her, her mind was made up. She was to lay with her husband on his enemies' battlefield and their child would inherit a kingdom free from an old woman's tyranny.

* * *

She knew without doubt that she would conceive a child from their hurried union, the magic in her blood told her with undoubting confidence. Dazed, Violet followed Carrion outside, where she met a familiar face. Letheo looked at her blankly as he stood with the reins of a large black horse in his hand. Violet guessed that Letheo must have spent a lot of time waiting for his master, even in situations such as these.

He wasn't impressed, but Violet was interested in petty fights. When it came to claiming his master's attention, Violet considered the rivalry won by her.

Ignoring Letheo, Violet climbed onto the back of Carrion's horse, wrapped her arms around his strong chest, and tried to steady her heart as they rode through the city streets. Slow and steady, a force of power moving towards its end. Behind them their followers gathered, walking through the streets like a funeral procession.

Faces that had lost hope turned towards them with renewed fight. Violet felt a swell of pride at being a beacon of hope for all Carrion's poor soldiers. It wasn't until she looked up at the tower that her blood began to run cold once more.

Motley looked down on them, hatred and disgust reaching out to touch even the most open heart. Her face was twisted in anger, and the wind caught the ends of her cloak, pulling it into the air like huge wings. Jumping down from the horse, Violet was in time to see something stream past her with a scream like a banshee. Motley was gone from her perch up high, as was Carrion. Bright light's crashed like lightning in the sky above her.

Feeling the magic crackle through her, like electricity, running down her arms and to her feet, Violet rose an inch from the floor. Looking up into the sky, she could see that the clouds were coming in fast.

"He can't beat her," Finngan shouted over the winds of an approaching storm.

Violet turned to see her three companions looking exhausted, but still standing, still willing to fight, and knew Finnegan was right. Carrion had lost against his grandmother before, and there was nothing to suggest it wouldn't happen again. With a bitter smile, knowing that after everything, she still wasn't assured a victory; Violet jumped into the sky. Turning into light for those left behind, Violet looked down. Everything was so small.

"Ha! What's this?" Motley asked mockingly.

It appeared Motley was standing on something solid; whilst Carrion seemed to be hanging onto the sky, ready to fall at any moment. His strength and power had faded until he was just moments away from closing his eyes forever. Violet knew Motley would drag him down and kick him to death if she could, and Violet hoped that her friends would help him to safety when he finally did fall out of the sky.

"Why it's your little wife," Motley continued. "Shame she has to die. She doesn't give up easily. Unfortunate… I think you might have enjoyed this one."

Violet wasn't able to read anything on Carrion's face but anger. Motley might be trying to unsteady her with mockery, but she was pointing her cruel words in the wrong direction.

Carrion's reaction was to attack, and with Motley's attention deflected Violet threw everything she had at her. The pain this caused her in her head, was so great that Violet was certain she would black out. She knew that her own screams were jointing Motley's, and she could hear Carrion yelling something over the storm, but she was unable to stop. Somehow she kept her concentration until the screaming desisted then sparks exploded before her eyes and she lost control.

Motley's rag and bones body flew against the tower, and hit the stone with a sickening crash. The old woman screamed in agony as her bones snapped like dry twigs, before dropping like a deadweight to the ground.

Violet felt herself following, landing hard and sending vibrations through the ground. Motley was squirming under her gaze, but Violet had forgotten everything. All thoughts of killing the old woman were gone; instead she just wanted to inflict pain.

"Stop now Violet," someone commanded taking her arm, but she could not distinguish the voice anymore.

A flick of her arm sent Carrion crashing into the side of a wooden shelter, his shoulder snapping the planks of wood and knocking his joint out of place.

His yell of pain was drowned by Motley's screeches as she jerked, electricity running through her.

"Stop her!" Carrion ordered, his command breaking through the collective horror and alerting his guards.

Otto Houlihan took hold of Violet with no care to her person, yanking her head back, in what might have killed her, had she not been manically strong. He yelled for the others to hold her.

Candy watched in horror as Violet was devoured by the magic, her eyes turning white as they rolled upwards. She struggled against Carrion's guards, but mostly she struggled against herself. Candy knew that Violet wasn't able to shake this possession off; this wasn't like in the forest. This was the price to pay.

Carrion's eyes met Candy's, but although he looked directly at her, Candy had the sense that he was looking beyond her. She saw him holding his arm, it twisted out of place, but by looking she lost her own concentration. Whatever Carrion was looking for, he had found. Suddenly dizzy, she felt the world go black.

Princess Boa stared back at Carrion. Standing where Candy once had, her young girl host fallen to the ground at her feet.

"Help her," Carrion whispered. No one in the world heard his words but Boa, and she heard something she never thought she would. Fear. Christopher Carrion, a man that feared nothing and no one, was scared of loosing this girl. Turning to look at Violet, Boa knew both their fates were sealed.

They both had the power to change events, Boa to save them, Violet to destroy. Closing her eyes, Boa looked down at her ghostly image and saw the stunned expressions of those around her. She was truly dead, pulled from Candy for a great need. The ending she had dreamt for herself was nothing but a dream; she would never have her final moment with Finnegan.

She would not let another girl die because of the Prince of Midnight. Gorgossium needed salvation, and she had been unable to help them. But Violet would lead the world in another direction. If only she could be freed from the magic that threatened to take her soul.

The Abarat had turned it's back on the world Boa had known. No longer belonging to this darkness, Boa left the world to the new Queen of Midnight, crossing into the land of spirits, taking Violet's demon with her.

Candy screamed as the presence that had been with her whole life disappeared skyward, ripping a dark shadow out of Violet as she streaked upwards. She felt Finnegan take her arm and saw that his face was distressed. Both feeling the loss of something that had not ended the way it should.

But as if the world had stood still for a moment, it burst back into life once more, as Violet collapsed into the Criss-Criss Man's strong arms. As if this was a sign to the people, they surged forwards in a wave, trampling anything in their way. Many cold hands reached forward to touch Violet's burning skin, as she clung to the world of the living. The Criss-Cross Man pulled her away from the scrum and followed Carrion and his guards to a place of safety.

Sitting on top of a house, surrounded by guards and soldiers, Violet touched Carrion's hand and felt him envelope her fingers into his palm. She smiled at him, but it didn't reach her eyes. Together they watched, all feelings numbed and unspeaking, as the liberated subjects of Midnight stole the defeated old woman's body into the night.

Violet didn't know if she had killed the hag before she was thrown onto the funeral pyre, all she knew was that it was over.

**

* * *

**

(Five Years Later)

_The girl on the TV I barely recognise, my cousin Elspeth found the fame she was craving, everyone knows her name now. My family had never been more proud, one Mousquetaire girl singing for her supper, the other a whore made honest. That's me, Violet Mousquetaire. My father had always said I was marked for great things, ever since I was chosen as one of the late Mater Motley's seamstresses. Although, I don't think he ever believed I would end my days as Queen of Midnight._

_The death of Mater Motley made me ruler of Midnight, an honour I quickly handed back to my 'husband' Christopher Carrion. Some people called me crazy, my family for one… I had been prepared to step down, but he kept me with him, at his side, to be Queen._

_I hadn't been wrong either, about my child, conceived in war. My daughter's innocent face reminds me of my cousin, pretty, but a true princess, strong and self-assured. She looks at my husband with large loving eyes; she knows nothing of the past._

_I know that the child I carry now will be a boy, he grows large inside me, and any day he will come into the world. I believe every father needs a son, someone to take the family name into the future. My own Prince Carrion will be the saviour of this hour. But woe betide any enemy that_ _faces my daughter, as history has shown, the females in this family make the fiercest warriors._

**END.**


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